Isaiah 5:10

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁸Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field until there is no room and you dwell alone in the land. ⁹I heard the LORD of Hosts declare: "Surely many houses will become desolate, great mansions left unoccupied. ¹⁰For ten acres of vineyard will yield but a bath of wine, and a homer of seed only an ephah of grain."¹¹Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine. ¹²At their feasts are the lyre and harp, tambourines and flutes and wine. They disregard the actions of the LORD, and fail to see the work of His hands. ¹³Therefore My people will go into exile for their lack of understanding; their dignitaries are starving, and their masses are parched with thirst. ¹⁴Therefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion's nobles and masses, her jubilant and carousers! ¹⁵So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes. ¹⁶But the LORD of Hosts will be exalted by His justice, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness. ¹⁷Lambs will graze as in their own pastures, and strangers will feed in the ruins of the wealthy.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

one: Leviticus 27:16, Ezekiel 45:10, Ezekiel 45:11, Joel 1:17, Haggai 1:9-11

Reciprocal: Exodus 37:22 - beaten work Deuteronomy 28:30 - build Deuteronomy 28:38 - shalt carry Isaiah 5:6 - I will lay Isaiah 27:10 - the defenced Jeremiah 4:26 - the fruitful Jeremiah 8:13 - there Jeremiah 48:33 - caused Hosea 3:2 - an homer Haggai 1:6 - have

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath,.... They shall get nothing by laying field to field, for their fields shall be barren and unfruitful; though Jarchi and Kimchi take this to be a reason why their houses should be desolate, and without inhabitants, because there would be a famine, rendering the words, "for ten acres", c. The Targum makes this barrenness to be the punishment of their sin, in not paying tithes paraphrasing the words thus,

"for because of the sin of not giving tithes, the place of ten acres of vineyard shall produce one bath.''

The word צמדי signifies "yokes", and is used of yokes of oxen; hence the Septuagint and Arabic versions render the words thus, "for where ten yoke of oxen work", or "plough, it shall make one flagon"; and so Kimchi explains them, the place in a vineyard, which ten yoke of oxen plough in one day, shall yield no more wine than one bath. A bath is a measure for liquids; according to Godwin a, it held four gallons and a half; a small quantity indeed, to be produced out of ten acres of ground; an acre, according to our English measure, being a quantity of land containing four square roods, or one hundred sixty square poles or perches:

and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah: that is, as much seed as an "homer" would hold, which was a dry measure, and which, according to the above writer, contained five bushels and five gallons, should yield only an ephah, which was the tenth part of an homer,

Ezekiel 45:11 so that it would only produce a tenth part of the seed sown.

a Moses and Aaron, l. 6. c. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Yea, ten acres - In this verse a reason is rendered why the houses mentioned in the previous verse should become desolate. The reason is, that the land would become sterile and barren, as a divine judgment for their oppression. To what particular time the prophet refers, here, is not apparent. It is certain, however, that the land of Canaan was frequently given up to sterility. The withholding of the early and latter rains, or the neglect of cultivation from any cause, would produce this. At present, this formerly fertile country is among the most unproductive on the face of the earth.

Ten acres - An “acre,” among the Hebrews, was what could be plowed by one yoke of oxen in a day. It did not differ materially from our acre.

Shall yield one bath - One bath of wine. The “bath” was a Jewish measure for liquids, containing about seven gallons and a half. To say that “ten acres” should produce no more wine than this; was the same as to say that it would produce almost nothing.

And the seed of an homer - An “homer” was a Hebrew measure for grain, containing about eight bushels.

An ephah - The “ephah” contained about three pecks. Of course, to say that an homer of seed should produce about three pecks, would be the same as saying that it would produce almost nothing.