Psalms 80:8-16

80:8 You uprooted a vine ¹  from Egypt;

you drove out nations and transplanted it.

80:9 You cleared the ground for it; ² 

it took root, ³ 

and filled the land.

80:10 The mountains were covered by its shadow,

the highest cedars ⁴  by its branches.

80:11 Its branches reached the Mediterranean Sea, ⁵ 

and its shoots the Euphrates River. ⁶ 

80:12 Why did you break down its walls, ⁷ 

so that all who pass by pluck its fruit? ⁸ 

80:13 The wild boars of the forest ruin it; ⁹ 

the insects ¹⁰  of the field feed on it.

80:14 O God, invincible warrior, ¹¹  come back!

Look down from heaven and take notice!

Take care of this vine,

80:15 the root ¹²  your right hand planted,

the shoot you made to grow! ¹³ 

80:16 It is burned ¹⁴  and cut down.

They die because you are displeased with them. ¹⁵ 

Isaiah 5:1-4

A Love Song Gone Sour

5:1 I ¹⁶  will sing to my love –

a song to my lover about his vineyard. ¹⁷ 

My love had a vineyard

on a fertile hill. ¹⁸ 

5:2 He built a hedge around it, ¹⁹  removed its stones,

and planted a vine.

He built a tower in the middle of it,

and constructed a winepress.

He waited for it to produce edible grapes,

but it produced sour ones instead. ²⁰ 

5:3 So now, residents of Jerusalem, ²¹ 

people ²²  of Judah,

you decide between me and my vineyard!

5:4 What more can I do for my vineyard

beyond what I have already done?

When I waited for it to produce edible grapes,

why did it produce sour ones instead?

Jeremiah 2:21

2:21 I planted you in the land

like a special vine of the very best stock.

Why in the world have you turned into something like a wild vine

that produces rotten, foul-smelling grapes? ²³ 

Luke 13:6-9

Warning to Israel to Bear Fruit

13:6 Then ²⁴  Jesus ²⁵  told this parable: “A man had a fig tree ²⁶  planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 13:7 So ²⁷  he said to the worker who tended the vineyard, ‘For ²⁸  three years ²⁹  now, I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and each time I inspect it ³⁰  I find none. Cut ³¹  it down! Why ³²  should it continue to deplete ³³  the soil?’ 13:8 But the worker ³⁴  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ³⁵  on it. 13:9 Then if ³⁶  it bears fruit next year, ³⁷  very well, ³⁸  but if ³⁹  not, you can cut it down.’”

John 15:1-8

The Vine and the Branches

15:1 “I am the true vine ⁴⁰  and my Father is the gardener. ⁴¹  15:2 He takes away ⁴²  every branch that does not bear ⁴³  fruit in me. He ⁴⁴  prunes ⁴⁵  every branch that bears ⁴⁶  fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 15:3 You are clean already ⁴⁷  because of the word that I have spoken to you. 15:4 Remain ⁴⁸  in me, and I will remain in you. ⁴⁹  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, ⁵⁰  unless it remains ⁵¹  in ⁵²  the vine, so neither can you unless you remain ⁵³  in me.

15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains ⁵⁴  in me – and I in him – bears ⁵⁵  much fruit, ⁵⁶  because apart from me you can accomplish ⁵⁷  nothing. 15:6 If anyone does not remain ⁵⁸  in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, ⁵⁹  and are burned up. ⁶⁰  15:7 If you remain ⁶¹  in me and my words remain ⁶²  in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. ⁶³  15:8 My Father is honored ⁶⁴  by this, that ⁶⁵  you bear ⁶⁶  much fruit and show that you are ⁶⁷  my disciples.

Romans 11:17-24

11:17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among them and participated in ⁶⁸  the richness of the olive root, 11:18 do not boast over the branches. But if you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 11:19 Then you will say, “The branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 11:20 Granted! ⁶⁹  They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but fear! 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. 11:22 Notice therefore the kindness and harshness of God – harshness toward those who have fallen, but ⁷⁰  God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; ⁷¹  otherwise you also will be cut off. 11:23 And even they – if they do not continue in their unbelief – will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 11:24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree?

[80:8]  ¹ sn The vine is here a metaphor for Israel (see Ezek 17:6-10; Hos 10:1).

[80:9]  ² tn Heb “you cleared away before it.”

[80:9]  ³ tn Heb “and it took root [with] its roots.”

[80:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “cedars of God.” The divine name אֵל (’al, “God”) is here used in an idiomatic manner to indicate the superlative.

[80:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “to [the] sea.” The “sea” refers here to the Mediterranean Sea.

[80:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “to [the] river.” The “river” is the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. Israel expanded both to the west and to the east.

[80:12]  ⁷ sn The protective walls of the metaphorical vineyard are in view here (see Isa 5:5).

[80:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “pluck it.”

[80:13]  ⁹ tn The Hebrew verb כִּרְסֵם (kirsem, “to eat away; to ruin”) occurs only here in the OT.

[80:13]  ¹⁰ tn The precise referent of the Hebrew word translated “insects,” which occurs only here and in Ps 50:11, is uncertain. Aramaic, Arabic, and Akkadian cognates refer to insects, such as locusts or crickets.

[80:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “O God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9), but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot) in Pss 59:5 and 84:8 as well. See also vv. 4, 7 for a similar construction.

[80:15]  ¹² tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here in the OT. HALOT 483 s.v. III כֵּן emends the form to כַּנָּהּ (kannah, “its shoot”).

[80:15]  ¹³ tn Heb “and upon a son you strengthened for yourself.” In this context, where the extended metaphor of the vine dominates, בֵּן (ben, “son”) probably refers to the shoots that grow from the vine. Cf. Gen 49:22.

[80:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “burned with fire.”

[80:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “because of the rebuke of your face they perish.”

[5:1]  ¹⁶ tn It is uncertain who is speaking here. Possibly the prophet, taking the role of best man, composes a love song for his friend on the occasion of his wedding. If so, יָדִיד (yadid) should be translated “my friend.” The present translation assumes that Israel is singing to the Lord. The word דוֹד (dod, “lover”) used in the second line is frequently used by the woman in the Song of Solomon to describe her lover.

[5:1]  ¹⁷ sn Israel, viewing herself as the Lord’s lover, refers to herself as his vineyard. The metaphor has sexual connotations, for it pictures her capacity to satisfy his appetite and to produce children. See Song 8:12.

[5:1]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “on a horn, a son of oil.” Apparently קֶרֶן (qeren, “horn”) here refers to the horn-shaped peak of a hill (BDB 902 s.v.) or to a mountain spur, i.e., a ridge that extends laterally from a mountain (HALOT 1145 s.v. קֶרֶן; H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:180). The expression “son of oil” pictures this hill as one capable of producing olive trees. Isaiah’s choice of קֶרֶן, a rare word for hill, may have been driven by paronomastic concerns, i.e., because קֶרֶן sounds like כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”).

[5:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or, “dug it up” (so NIV); KJV “fenced it.’ See HALOT 810 s.v. עזק.

[5:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “wild grapes,” i.e., sour ones (also in v. 4).

[5:3]  ²¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:3]  ²² tn Heb “men,” but in a generic sense.

[2:21]  ²³ tc Heb “I planted you as a choice vine, all of it true seed. How then have you turned into a putrid thing to me, a strange [or wild] vine.” The question expresses surprise and consternation. The translation is based on a redivision of the Hebrew words סוּרֵי הַגֶּפֶן (sure haggefen) into סוֹרִיָּה גֶּפֶן (soriyyah gefen) and the recognition of a hapax legomenon סוֹרִיָּה (soriyyah) meaning “putrid, stinking thing.” See HALOT 707 s.v. סוֹרִי.

[13:6]  ²⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:6]  ²⁶ sn The fig tree is a variation on the picture of a vine as representing the nation; see Isa 5:1-7.

[13:7]  ²⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s response as a result of the lack of figs in the preceding clause.

[13:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Behold, for.”

[13:7]  ²⁹ sn The elapsed time could be six years total since planting, since often a fig was given three years before one even started to look for fruit. The point in any case is that enough time had been given to expect fruit.

[13:7]  ³⁰ tn The phrase “each time I inspect it” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied to indicate the customary nature of the man’s search for fruit.

[13:7]  ³¹ tc ‡ Several witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ A L Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33 579 892 al lat co) have “therefore” (οὖν, oun) here. This conjunction has the effect of strengthening the logical connection with the preceding statement but also of reducing the rhetorical power and urgency of the imperative. In light of the slightly greater internal probability of adding a conjunction to an otherwise asyndetic sentence, as well as significant external support for the omission (א B D W ˹ Ï), the shorter reading appears to be more likely as the original wording here. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:7]  ³² tn Grk “Why indeed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[13:7]  ³³ sn Such fig trees would deplete the soil, robbing it of nutrients needed by other trees and plants.

[13:8]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:8]  ³⁵ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.

[13:9]  ³⁶ tn This is a third class condition in the Greek text. The conjunction καί (kai, a component of κάν [kan]) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “the coming [season].”

[13:9]  ³⁸ tn The phrase “very well” is supplied in the translation to complete the elided idea, but its absence is telling.

[13:9]  ³⁹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, showing which of the options is assumed.

[15:1]  ⁴⁰ sn I am the true vine. There are numerous OT passages which refer to Israel as a vine: Ps 80:8-16, Isa 5:1-7, Jer 2:21, Ezek 15:1-8, 17:5-10, 19:10-14, and Hos 10:1. The vine became symbolic of Israel, and even appeared on some coins issued by the Maccabees. The OT passages which use this symbol appear to regard Israel as faithless to Yahweh (typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT) and/or the object of severe punishment. Ezek 15:1-8 in particular talks about the worthlessness of wood from a vine (in relation to disobedient Judah). A branch cut from a vine is worthless except to be burned as fuel. This fits more with the statements about the disciples (John 15:6) than with Jesus’ description of himself as the vine. Ezek 17:5-10 contains vine imagery which refers to a king of the house of David, Zedekiah, who was set up as king in Judah by Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah allied himself to Egypt and broke his covenant with Nebuchadnezzar (and therefore also with God), which would ultimately result in his downfall (17:20-21). Ezek 17:22-24 then describes the planting of a cedar sprig which grows into a lofty tree, a figurative description of Messiah. But it is significant that Messiah himself is not described in Ezek 17 as a vine, but as a cedar tree. The vine imagery here applies to Zedekiah’s disobedience. Jesus’ description of himself as the true vine in John 15:1 ff. is to be seen against this background, but it differs significantly from the imagery surveyed above. It represents new imagery which differs significantly from OT concepts; it appears to be original with Jesus. The imagery of the vine underscores the importance of fruitfulness in the Christian life and the truth that this results not from human achievement, but from one’s position in Christ. Jesus is not just giving some comforting advice, but portraying to the disciples the difficult path of faithful service. To some degree the figure is similar to the head-body metaphor used by Paul, with Christ as head and believers as members of the body. Both metaphors bring out the vital and necessary connection which exists between Christ and believers.

[15:1]  ⁴¹ tn Or “the farmer.”

[15:2]  ⁴² tn Or “He cuts off.”

[15:2]  ⁴³ tn Or “does not yield.”

[15:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “And he”; the conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has been omitted in the translation in keeping with the tendency in contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[15:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “trims”; Grk “cleanses” (a wordplay with “clean” in v. 3). Καθαίρει (kaqairei) is not the word one would have expected here, but it provides the transition from the vine imagery to the disciples – there is a wordplay (not reproducible in English) between αἴρει (airei) and καθαίρει in this verse. While the purpose of the Father in cleansing his people is clear, the precise means by which he does so is not immediately obvious. This will become clearer, however, in the following verse.

[15:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “that yields.”

[15:3]  ⁴⁷ sn The phrase you are clean already occurs elsewhere in the Gospel of John only at the washing of the disciples’ feet in 13:10, where Jesus had used it of the disciples being cleansed from sin. This further confirms the proposed understanding of John 15:2 and 15:6 since Judas was specifically excluded from this statement (but not all of you).

[15:4]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “Reside.”

[15:4]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “and I in you.” The verb has been repeated for clarity and to conform to contemporary English style, which typically allows fewer ellipses (omitted or understood words) than Greek.

[15:4]  ⁵⁰ sn The branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains connected to the vine, from which its life and sustenance flows. As far as the disciples were concerned, they would produce no fruit from themselves if they did not remain in their relationship to Jesus, because the eternal life which a disciple must possess in order to bear fruit originates with Jesus; he is the source of all life and productivity for the disciple.

[15:4]  ⁵¹ tn Or “resides.”

[15:4]  ⁵² tn While it would be more natural to say “on the vine” (so NAB), the English preposition “in” has been retained here to emphasize the parallelism with the following clause “unless you remain in me.” To speak of remaining “in” a person is not natural English either, but is nevertheless a biblical concept (cf. “in Christ” in Eph 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 11).

[15:4]  ⁵³ tn Or “you reside.”

[15:5]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “resides.”

[15:5]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “yields.”

[15:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “in him, this one bears much fruit.” The pronoun “this one” has been omitted from the translation because it is redundant according to contemporary English style.

[15:5]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “do.”

[15:6]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “reside.”

[15:6]  ⁵⁹ sn Such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire. The author does not tell who it is who does the gathering and throwing into the fire. Although some claim that realized eschatology is so prevalent in the Fourth Gospel that no references to final eschatology appear at all, the fate of these branches seems to point to the opposite. The imagery is almost certainly that of eschatological judgment, and recalls some of the OT vine imagery which involves divine rejection and judgment of disobedient Israel (Ezek 15:4-6, 19:12).

[15:6]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “they gather them up and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

[15:7]  ⁶¹ tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁶² tn Or “reside.”

[15:7]  ⁶³ sn Once again Jesus promises the disciples ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. This recalls 14:13-14, where the disciples were promised that if they asked anything in Jesus’ name it would be done for them. The two thoughts are really quite similar, since here it is conditioned on the disciples’ remaining in Jesus and his words remaining in them. The first phrase relates to the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus. The second phrase relates to their obedience. When both of these qualifications are met, the disciples would in fact be asking in Jesus’ name and therefore according to his will.

[15:8]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “glorified.”

[15:8]  ⁶⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause is best taken as substantival in apposition to ἐν τούτῳ (en toutw) at the beginning of the verse. The Father is glorified when the disciples bring forth abundant fruit. Just as Jesus has done the works which he has seen his Father doing (5:19-29) so also will his disciples.

[15:8]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “yield.”

[15:8]  ⁶⁷ tc Most mss (א A Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï) read the future indicative γενήσεσθε (genhsesqe; perhaps best rendered as “[and show that] you will become”), while some early and good witnesses (Ì^66vid B D L Θ 0250 1 565 al) have the aorist subjunctive γένησθε (genhsqe; “[and show that] you are”). The original reading is difficult to determine because the external evidence is fairly evenly divided. On the basis of the external evidence alone the first reading has some credibility because of א and 33, but it is not enough to overthrow the Alexandrian and Western witnesses for the aorist. Some who accept the future indicative see a consecutive (or resultative) sequence between φέρητε (ferhte) in the ἵνα (Jina) clause and γενήσεσθε, so that the disciples’ bearing much fruit results in their becoming disciples. This alleviates the problem of reading a future indicative within a ἵνα clause (a grammatical solecism that is virtually unattested in Attic Greek), although such infrequently occurs in the NT, particularly in the Apocalypse (cf. Gal 2:4; Rev 3:9; 6:4, 11; 8:3; 9:4, 5, 20; 13:12; 14:13; 22:14; even here, however, the Byzantine mss, with א occasionally by their side, almost always change the future indicative to an aorist subjunctive). It seems more likely, however, that the second verb (regardless of whether it is read as aorist or future) is to be understood as coordinate in meaning with the previous verb φέρητε (So M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek §342). Thus the two actions are really one and the same: Bearing fruit and being Jesus’ disciple are not two different actions, but a single action. The first is the outward sign or proof of the second – in bearing fruit the disciples show themselves to be disciples indeed (cf. 15:5). Thus the translation followed here is, “that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.” As far as the textual reading is concerned, it appears somewhat preferable to accept the aorist subjunctive reading (γένησθε) on the basis of better external testimony.

[11:17]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “became a participant of.”

[11:20]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “well!”, an adverb used to affirm a statement. It means “very well,” “you are correct.”

[11:22]  ⁷⁰ tn Greek emphasizes the contrast between these two clauses more than can be easily expressed in English.

[11:22]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “if you continue in (the) kindness.”