Vineyard
“Orchard or vineyard”
Summary
A vineyard was a cultivated enclosure for growing grapes, featuring protective walls, watchtowers, and wine presses, serving as a prominent setting for biblical narratives and parables.
☩Structure and Features
The Hebrew kerem denotes an orchard or vineyard. In ancient Egypt, orchards and vineyards were often combined, with figs and other trees planted alongside vines trained on wooden rafters supported by columns. Palestinian vineyards were typically enclosed within walls and featured watchtowers where vine-dressers lived, lodges or booths for families during harvest, and wine presses hewn from rocky soil. Vineyards were often planted on hillsides, with stones gathered to build protective walls and terraces.
☩In Parables and Prophecy
The vineyard provides rich imagery throughout Scripture. Isaiah's song of the vineyard portrays Israel as God's carefully tended vine that produced only wild grapes, representing the nation's unfaithfulness. Jesus employed vineyard imagery in multiple parables: the laborers hired at different hours, the two sons sent to work, and the wicked tenants who killed the owner's servants and son. These parables address themes of judgment, responsibility, and the kingdom of God.
☩Care and Cultivation
Vineyard cultivation required protecting against wild boars, jackals, and foxes. The sluggard's neglected vineyard, overgrown with thorns and nettles with its stone wall broken down, served as a warning against laziness. Vineyards could be leased to tenant farmers who paid rent from the produce. The practice of gleaning—leaving some grapes for the poor—was commanded in the Law, extending compassion to the vulnerable through agricultural practice.
Related Verses105 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Vineyard," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).