Isaiah 5 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 5:2, 5:9, 5:17
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 5
The vineyard and the approaching army
Verse 5:1 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:1 Let me sing, please, for my beloved, my loved one's song about his vineyard. My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile height.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:1 I will sing now to the beloved a song of the loved one for my vineyard. The beloved had a vineyard on a horn, in a fertile place.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew his vineyard becomes Greek my vineyard, and the Greek beloved has no explicit my possessive. Hebrew horn, son of fatness is smoothed as fertile height; Greek preserves horn and explicitly says fertile place. The changing speaker relations are not harmonized.
Verse 5:2 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:2 He dug it and cleared its stones, planted it with choice vines, built a tower in its midst and also hewed a wine vat in it. He waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced foul grapes.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:2 I put a fence around it, palisaded it, planted a Sorech vine, built a tower in its midst and dug a wine vat in it. I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew third-person cultivation becomes Greek first-person work; digging and stone removal become fencing and palisading. Hebrew foul grapes becomes Greek thorns, changing the failed crop. Greek Sorech transliterates the vine term rather than translating its quality. Matthew twenty-one thirty-three reuses the vineyard, enclosing fence, winepress, and tower in Jesus’s tenant parable [NA28MAT21].
Verse 5:3 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:3 Now, resident of Jerusalem and man of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:3 Now, man of Judah and residents of Jerusalem, judge My case and the matter of My vineyard.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both call Judah and Jerusalem to assess the vineyard owner's case; Greek reverses their order and makes Jerusalem's residents plural. Its en emoi construction is rendered contextually as My case.
Verse 5:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:4 What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I waited for it to produce grapes, did it produce foul grapes?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:4 What more shall I do for My vineyard that I did not do for it? For I waited for it to produce grapes, but it produced thorns.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: The challenge about completed care agrees, with future what shall I do in Greek. Hebrew's question about foul grapes becomes a Greek explanatory statement about thorns.
Verse 5:5 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:5 Now let Me tell you what I am doing to My vineyard: remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:5 Now I will announce to you what I will do to My vineyard: I will remove its fence, and it will be plundered; I will pull down its wall, and it will be trampled,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both remove protection and expose the vineyard to devastation. Greek explicitly makes removal first-person future and has plunder where Hebrew has consumption or grazing.
Verse 5:6 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:6 I will make it a waste. It will not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns will rise. I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:6 and I will abandon My vineyard. It will certainly not be pruned or dug, and thorns will rise in it as in fallow ground. I will command the clouds not to rain upon it.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Abandoned cultivation, thorn growth and withheld rain agree. Hebrew waste and two vegetation terms become Greek abandonment and thorns in fallow ground.
Verse 5:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:7 For the vineyard of YHWH of hosts is Israel's house, and the man of Judah the planting of His delight. He waited for justice, but look, bloodshed; for righteousness, but look, an outcry.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:7 For the vineyard of the Lord Sabaoth is Israel's house, and the man of Judah a beloved new planting. I waited for it to produce judgment, but it produced lawlessness, not righteousness but an outcry.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Both identify Israel and Judah as the vineyard and contrast expected justice with wrongdoing. Hebrew He waited becomes Greek I waited; bloodshed becomes lawlessness. Hebrew mishpat/mispah and tsedaqah/tseaqah form sound contrasts that cannot be fully carried into the running English.
Verse 5:8 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:8 Woe to those joining house to house, bringing field beside field until there is no room and you are left dwelling alone in the land!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:8 Woe to those joining house to house and bringing field beside field, so that they may take something from their neighbor! Surely you will not dwell alone upon the earth?
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew emphasizes the exhaustion of space and isolated possession; Greek explicitly names taking a neighbor's property and ends with a question expecting refusal of solitary occupation. The land-accumulation charge agrees.
Verse 5:9 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:9 In my ears YHWH of hosts has said: “Surely many houses will become desolate, great and good ones without a resident.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:9 For these things were heard in the ears of the Lord Sabaoth: “If many houses come to be, great and beautiful, they will become deserted, and there will be none inhabiting them.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew places the message in the prophet's ears; Greek places its hearing in the Lord's ears. Hebrew emphatic assurance becomes a Greek conditional construction. Both announce empty grand houses, while the communication's direction changes.
Verse 5:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:10 For ten yokes of vineyard will yield one bath, and a homer's seed will yield an ephah.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:10 For where ten pairs of oxen work, it will yield one jar, and the one sowing six artabas will yield three measures.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Both depict severely diminished yield, but Hebrew vineyard land measured in yokes and bath/homer/ephah become Greek ox teams, a jar, six artabas and three measures. Each quantity and unit is preserved; no unverified equivalence or modern conversion is imposed.
Verse 5:11 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:11 Woe to those rising early in the morning to pursue strong drink, lingering into twilight while wine inflames them!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:11 Woe to those rising in the morning and pursuing strong drink, lingering into the evening, for wine will burn them up!
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Early and late drinking and the fire imagery agree. Greek makes the wine's burning future and emphatically destructive.
Verse 5:12 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:12 Lyre and harp, drum and flute and wine are at their feasts, but they do not look at YHWH's work or see the doing of His hands.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:12 For with lyre and harp, drums and flutes they drink wine, but they do not look at the Lord's works or consider the works of His hands.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: All four instrument types, wine and disregard for divine works correspond; Greek makes the drums and flutes plural.
Verse 5:13 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:13 Therefore My people has gone into exile for lack of knowledge; its honored ones are men of hunger, and its multitude is parched with thirst.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:13 Therefore My people became captive because they did not know the Lord, and there came to be a multitude of dead through famine and thirst for water.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek explicitly names ignorance of the Lord and deaths from famine and thirst. Hebrew distinguishes honored hungry people and the parched multitude without explicitly calling all of them dead.
Verse 5:14 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth beyond measure; her splendor, her multitude, her din and those exulting in her go down.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:14 Hades enlarged its appetite and opened its mouth without ceasing, and her glorious ones, great ones, rich ones and pestilent ones will go down.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew a city's splendor, crowds, noise and revelers become Greek four classes of people, including the rich and pestilent. Both depict the underworld swallowing them; Sheol/Hades preserves the respective names and measure/cessation differs.
Verse 5:15 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:15 Humanity is bowed down, a man is lowered, and the eyes of the lofty will be lowered.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:15 A human being will be humbled, a man dishonored, and lofty eyes humbled.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Both announce human abasement and the lowering of proud eyes; Greek uses dishonor in the middle clause and future verbs.
Verse 5:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:16 YHWH of hosts is exalted through justice, and the holy God shows Himself holy through righteousness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:16 The Lord Sabaoth will be exalted through judgment, and the holy God will be glorified through righteousness.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew God's being shown holy becomes Greek His being glorified. Justice and righteousness in divine exaltation agree.
Verse 5:17 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:17 Lambs will graze as in their pasture, and strangers will eat amid the ruins of the well-fed.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:17 Those who were plundered will be pastured like bulls, and lambs will feed upon the deserted places of those wiped out.
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Hebrew lambs grazing and strangers eating become Greek plundered people fed like bulls and lambs feeding on ruins. Both subjects and animal comparisons change; Hebrew the well-fed becomes Greek the obliterated.
Verse 5:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:18 Woe to those dragging guilt with cords of emptiness and sin as with a cart rope,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:18 Woe to those drawing sins as with a long cord and lawless deeds as with the strap of a heifer's yoke,
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew cords of emptiness or falsehood become a Greek long cord, and a cart rope becomes a heifer's yoke strap. Both depict the burdensome drawing of wrongdoing with agricultural equipment.
Verse 5:19 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:19 who say, “Let Him hurry, hasten His work so that we may see! Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so that we may know!”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:19 who say, “Let what He will do approach quickly, so that we may see, and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel come, so that we may know!”
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: The impatient challenge to divine action and counsel, with seeing and knowing as aims, corresponds.
Verse 5:20 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:20 Woe to those calling evil good and good evil, setting darkness for light and light for darkness, setting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:20 Woe to those calling evil good and good evil, making darkness light and light darkness, making bitter sweet and sweet bitter!
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: All three reversed pairs and the warning correspond, without omission of either direction.
Verse 5:21 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:21 Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discerning in their own sight!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:21 Woe to those discerning in themselves and knowledgeable before themselves!
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both condemn self-assured wisdom through two parallel descriptions.
Verse 5:22 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:22 Woe to heroes at drinking wine and valiant men at mixing strong drink,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:22 Woe to your strong ones who drink wine and the powerful who mix strong drink,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The ironic strength-and-drinking descriptions agree; Greek explicitly adds your and calls the second group powerful.
Verse 5:23 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:23 who acquit the wicked for a bribe and take the righteous ones' right away from him!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:23 who justify the ungodly for gifts and take away the righteous person's right!
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both condemn corrupt acquittal and deprivation of the righteous person's due. Hebrew shifts from plural righteous ones to singular him; Greek keeps one righteous person.
Verse 5:24 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:24 Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses in flame, their root will become rot and their blossom rise like dust, because they rejected the instruction of YHWH of hosts and despised the saying of the Holy One of Israel.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:24 Therefore, as a stalk is burned by a fiery coal and consumed by a rising flame, their root will become like chaff and their blossom rise like dust. For they did not desire the law of the Lord Sabaoth, but provoked the utterance of the Holy One of Israel.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew fire-tongue and collapsing grass become Greek burning coal and rising flame; root-rot becomes chaff. Greek's unusual provoked-the-utterance construction is retained against Hebrew despised the saying, rather than supplying a different object.
Verse 5:25 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:25 Therefore YHWH's anger burned against His people. He stretched His hand against it and struck it; the mountains trembled, and their corpses became like refuse in the streets. For all this His anger has not turned back, and His hand is still stretched out.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:25 The Lord Sabaoth was enraged with wrath against His people, brought His hand against them and struck them. The mountains were roused, and their carcasses became like dung in the middle of the road. In all these things the anger did not turn away, but the hand is still high.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek explicitly adds Sabaoth, describes mountains as roused or provoked rather than trembling, and ends with a high hand rather than one extended. The blow, corpses and continuing anger agree; Greek's final anger and hand lack explicit His.
Verse 5:26 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:26 He will raise a signal for nations far away and whistle for one from the end of the earth. Look, it comes swiftly, speedily!
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:26 Therefore He will raise a signal among the distant nations and whistle to them from the earth's end. Look, they come quickly and lightly!
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The distant summons and rapid approach agree. Hebrew nations shifts to a singular collective summoned one; Greek keeps plural recipients and arrivals.
Verse 5:27 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:27 None in it is weary or stumbling; none slumbers or sleeps. The belt at its waist is not loosened, and its sandal strap is not broken.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:27 They will not hunger or grow weary, slumber or sleep, nor loosen the belts from their waists; their sandal straps will certainly not break.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek no hunger takes the place of Hebrew no stumbling alongside weariness. Greek makes the soldiers active in not loosening their belts; all rest and equipment assurances remain.
Verse 5:28 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:28 Its arrows are sharpened and all its bows bent. Its horses' hooves are reckoned like flint, and its wheels like a whirlwind.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:28 Their arrows are sharp and their bows drawn. Their horses' feet are reckoned like solid rock, and their chariot wheels like a storm.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: The prepared weapons, hard equine feet and stormlike wheels agree. Greek lacks all before bows, explicitly adds chariots and uses solid rock rather than flint.
Verse 5:29 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:29 Its roar is like a lion's; it roars like young lions, growls and seizes prey, carries it away, with no rescuer.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:29 They rush like lions and have taken their stand like a lion's cub. It will seize and cry out as a beast does and cast out, and there will be none rescuing them.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Hebrew repeated roaring and carrying off prey become Greek rushing, standing, seizing, beast-crying and casting out. Greek changes plural they to singular it and ends with explicit them, without naming the seized object. The difficult agents and target are left visible.
Verse 5:30 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
5:30 On that day it will growl over it like the roaring of the sea. One will look to the land, and look, darkness and distress; the light is darkened in its clouds.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
5:30 It will cry out because of them on that day like the sound of a surging sea. They will look to the earth, and look, harsh darkness in their perplexity.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: The sea-roar and darkened land agree. Hebrew light obscured in clouds has no separate Greek counterpart; Greek instead expressly places harsh darkness in their perplexity. The Hebrew cloud term and both versions' pronoun referents remain uncertain.