Yeshayahu 5-6

During Yeshayahu’s lifetime, one of the main sources of livelihood for the Kingdom of Yehuda was its lush vineyards. The prophet therefore utilizes wine-related imagery in his prophecies to attract the attention of his listeners and help them to identify with his messages. In the parable of the vineyard (1-7), Yeshayahu utilizes different rhetorical methods to convey God’s deep disappointment in the nation and to inform them of the severe consequences for their behavior. The perek then continues with a series of prophecies, all beginning with the word “Ah/Woe,” which fluctuate between rebuke and lament and which describe the nation’s adulterated distinctions between good and bad. The end of the perek prophesies the impending arrival of the great enemy. The Assyrian foe has yet to be mentioned by name, however its ominous shadow continues to approach the Kingdom of Yehuda.