Isaiah 5:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The earth was created for our sake and service; its condition, whether flourishing or otherwise, stems from our actions.

The same truth was evident during Noah's time. As humanity became exceedingly corrupt, all creation—seeds, plants, mute creatures, land, sea, air, mountains, forests, hills, towns, walls, homes, towers—was engulfed in a catastrophic deluge. When humanity began to multiply once more, the earth was reestablished and returned to its former flourishing state. This pattern can also be observed in personal experiences concerning individuals. Thus, the sea receded to reclaim its place, the sun and moon paused in their courses, fire took on the characteristics of water, and the earth displayed qualities of the sea, while the sea exhibited traits of the land. In summary, all creation is oriented towards the welfare of humanity. Since mankind is the pinnacle of creation, and all things exist for his sake, when the Jewish people committed sin, God withheld the earth's fertility, preventing it from producing the usual harvests despite human toil. This serves as a reminder that it is not merely human skill in agriculture, nor the strength of oxen and plows, nor the nature of the soil, but rather the Lord of all creation who generously provides, and at His discretion, can halt all productivity.

Such a crop failure will result that where twenty oxen or ten pairs have labored in the vineyards, there will be scarcely a single vessel of wine, and of the six measures of seed sown, only a fraction will be harvested. To manage ten pairs of oxen, you would typically require numerous vineyards and plenty of arable land. Consequently, it is futile to possess or strive to amass great riches when there is no one to inhabit the homes within the cities and the fields yield no produce, as God withers the crops and condemns the injustices of greedy individuals. However, since we each engage in the spiritual cultivation of our souls and plant seeds of righteousness, we must take care not to provoke God’s displeasure. For then, like a secure and resilient house, we will gain a multitude of diverse virtues and it will be as if we abound with richness like the valleys. The Lord of all blesses our sowing and increases the fruits of our righteousness, as the Apostle Paul affirms.

The term "bat" pertains to liquid measures, while "ephi," which is synonymous with "ephah," refers to dry measures, as highlighted in Ezekiel, stating that you shall have proper ephi and bat. These must correspond in measure so that the bat is one-tenth of the bark and the ephi is also one-tenth of the bark, ensuring their proportions are consistent to the bark's measure (Ezekiel 45:10-11).

We ponder, in light of this mystery, how grand such houses of heretics appear, which will be devoid of occupants at the day of reckoning. All their ostentation and elaborate rhetoric will have no substance; thus, as noted by the Apostle Paul, we are not merely God's building, but also His field (1 Cor. 3:9). Those who attempt to imitate this are dismantled and uprooted by Jeremiah (Jer. 18:7). Consequently, in ten vineyard plots or where ten pairs of oxen work, they shall receive one bat, and from thirty measures of sown grain, they shall obtain one ephi, highlighting that from the scripturally meaningful and complete number ten, and from thirty, which Ezekiel foretold (Ezek. 1:1) and in which the Lord was baptized (Luke 3:22-23), they descend to an ephi that, when compared to plurality, is merely a unit.

The Apostle Paul clarifies that the building and the field have spiritual significance, affirming that believers are deeply rooted in love (Eph. 3:17). Thus, Ecclesiastes not only constructed houses for himself but also cultivated vineyards, established gardens and orchards, and planted various fruit trees, creating water reservoirs for irrigation (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6). In contrast, heretics, possessing mere appearances devoid of genuine truth, offer only the foliage of speech without the fruit of righteous deeds. Regarding their trees, the Lord proclaims that “every plant not planted by My Father in heaven will be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13). Their grapes resemble those of Sodom, their produce stemming from Gomorrah: their cluster is filled with bitterness and distress. The venom of serpents constitutes their wine, and the poison of asps remains unhealed (Deuteronomy 32:32-33).