The Song of Songs 7:12

7:12 Let us rise early to go to the vineyards,

to see if the vines have budded,

to see if their blossoms have opened,

if the pomegranates are in bloom –

there I will give you my love.

The Song of Songs 8:11-12

Solomon’s Vineyard and the Beloved’s Vineyard

The Beloved to Her Lover:

8:11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon;

he leased out ¹  the vineyard to those who maintained it.

Each was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.

8:12 My vineyard, ²  which belongs to me, ³  is at my disposal alone. ⁴ 

The thousand shekels belong to you, O Solomon,

and two hundred shekels belong to those who maintain it for its fruit.

Isaiah 27:2-3

27:2 When that time comes, ⁵ 

sing about a delightful vineyard! ⁶ 

27:3 I, the Lord, protect it; ⁷ 

I water it regularly. ⁸ 

I guard it night and day,

so no one can harm it. ⁹ 

Isaiah 60:21

60:21 All of your people will be godly; ¹⁰ 

they will possess the land permanently.

I will plant them like a shoot;

they will be the product of my labor,

through whom I reveal my splendor. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 61:3

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ¹²  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ¹³  instead of discouragement. ¹⁴ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ¹⁵ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ¹⁶ 

Matthew 20:1

Workers in the Vineyard

20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner ¹⁷  who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

Mark 12:1

The Parable of the Tenants

12:1 Then ¹⁸  he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. ¹⁹  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ²⁰  he leased it to tenant farmers ²¹  and went on a journey.

Mark 12:1

The Parable of the Tenants

12:1 Then ²²  he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. ²³  He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then ²⁴  he leased it to tenant farmers ²⁵  and went on a journey.

Colossians 3:9

3:9 Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

[8:11]  ¹ tn Heb “gave.”

[8:12]  ² sn The term כֶּרֶם (kerem, “vineyard”) is used literally in 8:11 in reference to Solomon’s physical vineyard, but in 8:12 it is used figuratively (hypocatastasis) in reference to the Beloved: כַּרְמִי (karmi, “my vineyard”). Throughout the Song, the term כֶּרֶם (“vineyard”) is used figuratively (Song 1:6; 2:15; 8:12). In 8:12 it is used in reference to either (1) herself, (2) her choice of whom to give herself to in love, or (3) her physical body. In contrast to Solomon’s physical vineyard, whose fruit can be bought and sold (8:11), she is not for sale: She will only give herself freely to the one whom she chooses to love.

[8:12]  ³ tn Each of the three terms in this line has the 1st person common singular suffix which is repeated three times for emphasis: כַּרְמִי (karmi, “my vineyard”), שֶׁלִּי (shelli, “which belongs to me”), and לְפָנָי (lÿfana, “at my disposal”). In contrast to King Solomon, who owns the vineyard at Baal-Hamon and who can buy and sell anything in the vineyard that he wishes, she proclaims that her “vineyard” (= herself or her body) belongs to her alone. In contrast to the vineyard, which can be leased out, and its fruit, which can be bought or sold, her “vineyard” is not for sale. Her love must and is to be freely given.

[8:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “[it is] before me.” The particle לְפָנָי (lÿfana) can denote “at the disposal of” (e.g., Gen 13:9; 20:15; 24:51; 34:10; 47:6; Jer 40:4; 2 Chr 14:6) (HALOT 9 s.v. פָּנֶה 4.f; BDB 817 s.v. פנה 4.a.f). Similar to Akkadian ana pan “at the disposal of” (AHw 2:821.a, paragraph 20), the term is used in reference to a sovereign (usually a land-owner or king) who has full power over his property to dispose of as he wishes, e.g., “The whole country is at your disposal [לְפָנֶיךָ, lÿfaneka]” (Gen 13:9). In Song 8:12 the form לְפָנָי has the 1st person common singular suffix: “My vineyard, which belongs to me, is at my disposal.”

[27:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “in that day” (so KJV).

[27:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “vineyard of delight,” or “vineyard of beauty.” Many medieval mss read כֶּרֶם חֶמֶר (kerem khemer, “vineyard of wine”), i.e., “a productive vineyard.”

[27:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “her.” Apparently “vineyard” is the antecedent, though normally this noun is understood as masculine (see Lev 25:3, however).

[27:3]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “constantly.” Heb “by moments.”

[27:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “lest [someone] visit [harm] upon it, night and day I guard it.”

[60:21]  ¹⁰ tn Or “righteous” (NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “just.”

[60:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a shoot of his planting, the work of my hands, to reveal splendor.”

[61:3]  ¹² tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[20:1]  ¹⁷ sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.

[12:1]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ¹⁹ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[12:1]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ²¹ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.

[12:1]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ²³ sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.

[12:1]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:1]  ²⁵ sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.