Vineyard

(to establish)

Growing grapes was not a hobby but a necessity in Bible times; the grapes, raisins, and wine that grew in the family vineyard were essential to daily living, and laws were established in Israel to ensure everyone had access to this vital commodity (Lev. 19:10; Deut. 23:24; 24:21).[277] In order to appreciate the connotations associated with establishing a vineyard as well as the literal and figurative references to it in the Bible, we will review the incredible investment of time and energy required to establish a vineyard.[278]

The process began by creating a terrace on the steep, eroded slopes of the hill country in the Promised Land where grapes grew well. The family started by constructing a blocking wall that would prevent the growing bed they were establishing from washing back into the valley floor. With the blocking wall in place, it was time to carry bag after bag of soil uphill the hundreds of feet from the valley floor to create an ideal growing medium. Such terraces were not built over a weekend but required months, even years of effort. Unlike grain, the vineyard was not established by planting seeds but by planting cuttings in the terraces. These cuttings were excised from successful vines, and once planted, the cuttings required at least four years before they were mature enough to produce good-quality grapes.[279] During those maturing years, the family invested a great deal of time and effort in the maintenance of the vineyard. In order to eliminate competition from weeds for precious water and nutrients, the vineyard required constant cultivation. During the fall, the vines were inspected for branches that showed little promise of producing good fruit, and they were pruned away. The family also dedicated time to maintain the terrace wall lest the hydraulic pressure of a heavy rain burst the soil dam and destroy years of effort.

The process of establishing a vineyard in the mountains of Judah began with building a terrace.

Establishing a vineyard also meant creating other infrastructure needed to safeguard and process the grapes; these included a watchtower, wall, and pressing floor. In order to prevent unauthorized harvesting of the grapes as they ripened, members of the farm family constructed and then lived in an agricultural watchtower located in sight of the vineyard. They also built a wall of either thornbushes or stone to prevent animals from feasting on the ripening grapes. And in order to prevent unintentional damage to the grapes that were going to be pressed to make wine, a pressing floor was cut into the stone near the vineyard.[280]

Because it took so many years and so much effort to establish a vineyard, it was linked to the notions of permanence and stability (Mic. 4:4; Zech. 3:10). Furthermore, the vineyard was considered a highly valued asset; it was protected by law and sadly became an asset of such value that some would kill to take it away from its rightful owner (Exod. 22:5; Num. 20:17; Deut. 20:6; Matt. 21:33–39). Given all of that, it was unthinkable that one would invest so much time and effort in establishing a vineyard only to sell it to another or allow it to fall into disrepair (1 Kings 21:2; Prov. 24:30–31).

The biblical authors expect us to carry this understanding into our reading of texts in which establishing a vineyard is formally mentioned or assumed. Established vineyards project the connotation of normalcy. Thus a return to normalcy is suggested when Noah plants a vineyard shortly after exiting the ark (Gen. 9:20). But we barely get to enjoy the moment before Noah returns to the ways of pre-flood sinful behavior, getting drunk on the produce from the vineyard.

As the author of 1 Kings describes the paganism that characterized the rule of Ahab and Jezebel, he gives significant time to telling the story of Naboth’s vineyard. Not only is the royal family criticized for their cavalier attitude toward divinely sanctioned land ownership in the Promised Land, but they also are subjected to satire. Only a fool would reverse the energy expended in establishing a vineyard by turning it into an ordinary vegetable garden (1 Kings 21:1–2).

From time to time, the prophets use the vineyard as a metaphor for Israel, but the most sustained use of this figurative speech is in Isaiah 5. Here Isaiah meticulously describes the steps that were required to establish a successful vineyard. Every expectation is that this time and effort would lead to an abundant harvest of grapes. But the Song of the Vineyard leads us to a very different scene—one marred by lackluster vines that produced only bad fruit: “What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?” (Isa. 5:4). When we know what the farmers of Isaiah’s day knew about establishing a vineyard, we can quickly answer the first question: Nothing—nothing more could have been done for the vineyard. The results were inexplicable, but they also predicted what would happen next both to the hapless vineyard and to the people it represented. “I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it” (Isa. 5:5–6).

Pressing floors were kept as close to the vineyards as possible.