Habakkuk 3:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He further likens the synagogue to a vine devoid of grapes, as highlighted by the prophet Isaiah: ‘the vineyard of the Lord of hosts ... is the house of Israel ...’ (Isaiah 5:2, 7). Consequently, as recorded by David, ‘wild beasts from the forest shall come, and the beasts of the field shall devour them’ (Psalm 79:13-14). The plight of the olive tree—as a representation of the Jewish synagogue—was similarly marred. The prophet Jeremiah articulates this, stating: ‘The Lord called your name a green olive tree, fair and of goodly fruit. With the noise of a great tumult, He hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken’ (Jeremiah 11:16-17). Since, as the prophet indicates, ‘their work is false’ (for those drawn to Christ through the law and prophets failed to embrace the faith), it faced destruction, and its branches were severed. Yet, those arising from the wild olive—a metaphor for the Gentiles—were grafted in, sharing in the richness of the good olive tree.

Israel is also depicted as fields lacking essential sustenance, underscoring their fruitlessness. This deficiency in divine truth would lead to significant suffering, which He elucidates by saying: ‘the sheep shall be made weak,’ indicating a shortage of spiritual nourishment. Moreover, ‘there shall be no ox at the manger,’ signifying the absence of a holy, chosen lineage such as the Levitical priests. These leaders traditionally provided spiritual guidance and clarity, nourishing others with divine teachings. Their own sustenance came from the offerings presented by the faithful. Thus, the people’s spiritual sheep became impoverished, and the shepherds were no longer present. Consequently, Paul reminds us, ‘Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn’ (1 Tim. 5:18), affirming the importance of those who instruct.

He notes that the oxen were worn down ‘by their own healing,’ which may suggest that their refusal to seek restoration from Christ—who comes to support the frail and justify the unrighteous—led to a state of weakness and worthlessness. Offending God results in grave consequences and is the source of profound barrenness, ultimately leaving us deficient in spiritual sustenance and in great anguish.

For the fig tree shall not produce its leaves, and the vines shall yield no offspring; the labor of the olive shall disappoint, and the fields shall provide no bread, etc. Given the slight variations from the translation of the Septuagint, we will contemplate them concurrently.

When the time of anguish arrives, and I ascend to my people who once journeyed alongside me, or during the defeat of the Jews and their foremost nation, when the daughter of Zion is left vulnerable like a tent in a vineyard, like a temporary shelter in a garden, and like a city besieged, I shall unite with the followers of Christ; as He instructs them on the mountain, I will also ascend to the heights, leaving behind the tumult and the weary below. For the fig tree, which the parched traveler approached, produced no fruit, as mentioned by the Lord in the Gospel; it was barren and cursed with the declaration, "You shall never produce fruit again" (Matt. 21:19). Consider the phrase "you shall not bear fruit forever"—it does not say "forever and ever," but rather until this age concludes and the full number of the Gentiles arrives; then the fig tree shall indeed yield its fruits, and all Israel shall be saved. I am that fig tree, which the Lord visits for the third time, seeking to destroy as it remains fruitless, and the gardener, responsible for its care, implores the Lord to grant it more time to produce, saying: "Lord, allow it one more year while I cultivate it and enrich its soil; perhaps it may bear fruit; if not, then You may cut it down" (Luke 13:8-9). This gardener symbolizes either Gabriel or Michael, to whom the people of Judah are assigned; he seeks mercy and says, "Lord, grant them time to repent and do not bring about their destruction; perhaps they will yield fruit, but if not, then You shall chastise them." His statement of "if they bear fruit" does not imply certainty of their perseverance, nor does he suggest that they will remain unchanged; instead, it hints at the possibility that then Thou wouldst transplant them into the church of the Gentiles, relocating them to another vineyard.

The Lord visited a third time and found them barren—indeed, the first visit was when He delivered the law through Moses, the second when He spoke via the prophets; He Himself came the third time, and, following His passion, granted them forty-four years for repentance, after which He brought them to ruin for their fruitlessness. This deduction, however, seems evident to us. The parable does not clarify what the Master would do next; the gardener is portrayed only as interceding. Therefore, we observe that those who do bear fruit from the fig tree have joined the Gentile nations, as the prophet declares, "I will find rest in the day of suffering to ascend to the wandering people"; however, those who remain unfruitful and hard-hearted meet destruction. The voice of John in the Gospel echoes this sentiment: "Behold, the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 3:10; Luke 3:9). Regarding the fig tree, it is evident that it symbolizes the Jewish people. Likewise, we can consider the vineyard, illuminated by the words of Isaiah; "My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill" (Isaiah 5:1), and again, "I looked for it to yield grapes, but it produced wild grapes" (Isaiah 5:2). Jeremiah also echoes this with "I planted you as a choice vine, how have you turned into a wild vine?" (Jer. 2:21). This is the vine from which the Father often sent servants (Matt. 21:33-40) to gather the wine that brings joy to humanity; yet it turned bitter and eventually conspired to slay the Son of the Master of the estate, offering not grapes but thorns, and, instead of righteous judgment, proclaiming, "Crucify Him!" and "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:6-15). Thus, "The wild beast of the forest uprooted it, and wild animals devoured it" (Psalm 79:14).

The synagogue’s people are easily identified beneath the olive tree, as articulated by the Apostle (Rom. 11:17) concerning those branches that were broken off and us who were grafted in from the wild olive. Through this imagery, we comprehend the branches as the multitude of cut-off Jews and the roots representing the steadfast election of the apostles; as we are grafted into them, we remain so long as we yield fruit. Consequently, it shall be said of us, "Your children are like olive shoots around your table" (Ps. 127:3). Some interpret the fig tree, the olive tree, and the vineyard in relation to the mystery of the Trinity: the fig tree, representing sweetness of fruit, signifies the Holy Spirit; the vineyard signifies our Lord Jesus Christ, who proclaimed, "I am the true vine" (John 15:1); and the olive tree symbolizes God the Father Almighty, the source of all light from whom we can say, "O olive tree, in Your light we shall see light" (Psalm 36:10). To these trees of abundant fruit and their abundant vineyard come, as the Book of Judges states, the unfruitful trees requesting kingship (Judges 9:8). However, the trees of the forest, preserved for fire, the olive tree, the fig tree, and the vineyard shall never hold dominion; rather, it is the thornbush that resembles the heretical dweller in Babylon and lurks in the ravines that rules over them. This thornbush not only bears thorns but also harbors fire that injures and consumes all it encounters. Thus, the fire spread and destroyed the trees of the forest.

For understanding, it is essential to recognize that in the expressions, "The fig tree shall not bear fruit, and there shall be no shoots on the vines," it refers not to physical fruit but rather to righteous deeds. The meaning is clarified concerning the olive tree with, "Deeds of the olive tree shall deceive." The fruits intended to emerge are realized through actions; the olive's labor is misleading, promising one thing while delivering another—these are the individuals who proclaimed to Moses, “All that the Lord commands, we will do” (Exodus 24:7), yet refuse to believe in Him whom Moses forewarned. Nor shall the fields yield any bounty. Notably, Jerusalem, once exalted in the mountains, now perceives lowliness in the fields; it not only fails to sustain humanity, the rational beings, but also does not produce sustenance for the cattle. Solomon advised careful management of the fields for the sake of the livestock (Proverbs 27:23-26); absence of nourishment indicates the folly of those steeped in unrighteousness before their Creator, who will face removal of all blessings. Thus, whether or not you discern the day of affliction as the end of the age, all is applicable to those who claim to belong to the church but walk devoid of righteousness. The fig tree, vineyard, and olive tree—symbolizing the Sacrament of the Trinity—shall not bear fruit in such individuals, leaving them void of sustenance for intellectual beings and lacking even the fat necessary for their flocks, while their pens remain empty; instead of taking their time upon the lofty mountains, they dwell in the valleys and lowlands.

Rather than providing additional references, I will mention the words of Isaiah, who declares: ‘For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant: I looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry’ (Isaiah 5:7). The Pharisees and Sadducees are included among those who, despite their claims to righteousness, failed to produce its true fruits. The olive tree serves as a symbol of the righteous, as expressed by King David, who states, ‘But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever’ (Psalm 51:10). The Prophet refers to the obedient followers as barren fields, echoing Jeremiah’s exhortation to ‘Sow not among thorns’ (Jeremiah 4:3). He labels the disobedient followers, whom he warns of impending famine, as sheep, stating, ‘Behold, the days come, says the Lord, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord’ (Amos 8:11). The Prophet also speaks of a time when there will be no cattle in the stalls, implying the priests, whose absence leaves the ancient altars empty. Just as oxen are used to plow the land, priests are to nurture the souls of the faithful, obtaining from them what they offer at the divine altars, akin to a feeding trough. Paul also reminds us, ‘Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn’ (1 Corinthians 9:9), and further states, ‘Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel’ (1 Corinthians 9:13). Yet, these individuals will face great calamities.

The livestock will dwindle, with no sheep or small cattle due to a lack of pasture, and there will be no oxen in the stalls; ultimately, all livestock and crops will come to ruin. Blessed Theodoret interprets this metaphorically: the fig tree symbolizes Jerusalem, the vineyard represents God's people (Isaiah 5:7), the fruitless olive tree signifies the Pharisees and Sadducees, the unproductive fields reflect the followers who adhere to these leaders, the sheep embody those threatened by famine, and the oxen denote the priests who nurtured the souls of the faithful.