Isaiah 18:5
New International Version
For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.

New Living Translation
Even before you begin your attack, while your plans are ripening like grapes, the LORD will cut off your new growth with pruning shears. He will snip off and discard your spreading branches.

English Standard Version
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he cuts off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he lops off and clears away.

Berean Standard Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches.

King James Bible
For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

New King James Version
For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect And the sour grape is ripening in the flower, He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks And take away and cut down the branches.

New American Standard Bible
For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, And remove and tear away the spreading branches.

NASB 1995
For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

NASB 1977
For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

Legacy Standard Bible
For before the harvest, as soon as the bud blossoms And the flower becomes a ripening grape, Then He will cut off the sprigs with pruning knives And remove and cut away the spreading branches.

Amplified Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over And the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs [without buds] with pruning knives, And [He will] remove and cut away the spreading branches.

Christian Standard Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over and the blossom becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife, and tear away and remove the branches.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over and the blossom becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife, and tear away and remove the branches.

American Standard Version
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches will he take away and cut down.

Contemporary English Version
Before the blossoms can turn into grapes, God will cut off the sprouts and hack off the branches.

English Revised Version
For afore the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches shall he take away and cut down.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Before the harvest, when blossoms are gone and grapes are ripening from blossoms, he will cut off the shoots with pruning shears and chop off the spreading branches.

Good News Translation
Before the grapes are gathered, when the blossoms have all fallen and the grapes are ripening, the enemy will destroy the Ethiopians as easily as a knife cuts branches from a vine.

International Standard Version
For before the harvest, when the season of budding is over, and sour grapes ripen into mature grapes, he cuts off the shoots with pruning knives, clearing away the spreading branches as he lops them off.

Majority Standard Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches.

NET Bible
For before the harvest, when the bud has sprouted, and the ripening fruit appears, he will cut off the unproductive shoots with pruning knives; he will prune the tendrils.

New Heart English Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches.

Webster's Bible Translation
For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

World English Bible
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and he will cut down and take away the spreading branches.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For before harvest, when the flower is perfect, "" And the blossom is producing unripe fruit, "" Then [One] has cut the sprigs with pruning hooks, "" And the branches He has turned aside, cut down.

Young's Literal Translation
For before harvest, when the flower is perfect, And the blossom is producing unripe fruit, Then hath one cut the sprigs with pruning hooks, And the branches he hath turned aside, cut down.

Smith's Literal Translation
For before the harvest, when the flower was completed, and the sour grape shall be ripening in the flower, and he cut off the shoots with pruning-hooks, and cutting off he took away the tendrils.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For before the harvest it was all flourishing, and it shall bud without perfect ripeness, and the sprigs thereof shall be cut off with pruning hooks: and what is left shall be cut away and shaken out.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For before the harvest, all was flourishing. And it will spring forth with an untimely completion, and its little branches will be pruned with a curved blade. And what is left over will be cut away and shaken off.

New American Bible
Before the vintage, when the flowering has ended, and the blooms are succeeded by ripening grapes, Then comes the cutting of branches with pruning hooks, and the discarding of the lopped-off shoots.

New Revised Standard Version
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning hooks, and the spreading branches he will hew away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For before the harvest, when the bud has perished and the grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the lean shoots with pruning hooks and take away and shake off the branches.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because before the harvest the fruit is perfect, and the blossom is weaned and there will be a flower, and he will cut off the worthless with a sickle, and he shall remove and shall shake shoots
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, And the bud becometh a ripening grape, He will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, And the shoots will He take away and lop off.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Before the reaping time, when the flower has been completely formed, and the unripe grape has put forth its flower and blossomed, then shall he take away the little clusters with pruning-hooks, and shall take away the small branches, and cut them off;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Message to Cush
4For this is what the LORD has told me: “I will quietly look on from My dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.” 5For before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife and remove and discard the branches. 6They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey, and to the beasts of the land. The birds will feed on them in summer, and all the wild animals in winter.…

Cross References
John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.

Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Revelation 14:15
Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest, for the crop of the earth is ripe.”

James 5:7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.

Mark 4:29
And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Joel 3:13
Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.

Jeremiah 51:33
For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come.”

Hosea 6:11
Also for you, O Judah, a harvest is appointed, when I restore My people from captivity.

Micah 7:1
Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

Luke 13:6-9
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. / So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ / ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ...

John 4:35
Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe for harvest.

Psalm 80:8-16
You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and transplanted it. / You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land. / The mountains were covered by its shade, and the mighty cedars with its branches. ...

Isaiah 5:1-7
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Jeremiah 5:17
They will devour your harvest and food; they will consume your sons and daughters; they will eat up your flocks and herds; they will feed on your vines and fig trees. With the sword they will destroy the fortified cities in which you trust.”


Treasury of Scripture

For before the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

Isaiah 17:11
In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.

Song of Solomon 2:13,15
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away…

Ezekiel 17:6-10
And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs…

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Afore Blossom Crushing Cut Cutting Flower Getting Grape Grapes Harvest Hew Hooks Lop Perfect Pruning Pruning-Hooks Ready Shoots Soon Sour Spreading Sprigs Time Wide-Stretching
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Afore Blossom Crushing Cut Cutting Flower Getting Grape Grapes Harvest Hew Hooks Lop Perfect Pruning Pruning-Hooks Ready Shoots Soon Sour Spreading Sprigs Time Wide-Stretching
Isaiah 18
1. God, in care of his people, will destroy the Ethiopians
7. An accession thereby shall be made to the church














For before the harvest
This phrase sets the stage for a divine intervention that occurs at a specific time, "before the harvest." In the agricultural context of ancient Israel, the harvest was a time of gathering and celebration. Spiritually, it symbolizes a time of judgment or fulfillment. The Hebrew word for "harvest" (קָצִיר, qatsir) often represents a period of divine reckoning. Here, it suggests that God acts with foresight and purpose, intervening at the perfect moment to ensure His plans are fulfilled.

when the blossom is gone
The imagery of a blossom fading indicates a transition from potential to fruition. In the Hebrew context, the blossom represents the initial promise or potential of what is to come. The fading of the blossom signifies the end of one phase and the beginning of another. Spiritually, this can be seen as the end of a period of waiting or preparation, as God moves to bring about His intended outcome.

and the flower becomes a ripening grape
This phrase continues the agricultural metaphor, illustrating the process of growth and maturation. The transformation from flower to grape signifies the development of God's plans from inception to near completion. The Hebrew word for "ripening" (בֹּסֶר, boser) implies a stage of readiness, just before full maturity. This can be seen as a metaphor for the readiness of God's people or His plans to reach their intended purpose.

He will cut off the shoots with a pruning knife
The act of cutting off shoots with a pruning knife is a deliberate and careful action. In ancient viticulture, pruning was essential for the health and productivity of the vine. The Hebrew word for "pruning knife" (מַזְמֵרָה, mazmerah) suggests a tool used for precise and intentional cutting. Spiritually, this represents God's refining process, removing what is unnecessary or harmful to ensure the growth and fruitfulness of His people or His plans.

and remove and discard the branches
This final phrase emphasizes the thoroughness of God's intervention. The removal and discarding of branches indicate a complete and final action. In the context of Isaiah's prophecy, this can be seen as God's judgment against those who are unproductive or opposed to His will. The Hebrew word for "discard" (הֵסִיר, hesir) implies a separation or setting aside, highlighting the decisive nature of God's actions. This serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining connected to God's purposes and being fruitful in His service.

Verse 5. - For afore the harvest. God can rest thus tranquil, because he can step in at any time; and this he is about to do, before Assyria reaps her harvest. When the bud is perfect, etc.; rather, when the blossom is past, and the green grape is becoming a ripening bunch. He shall cut off (comp. Isaiah 10:33, 34). The metaphor is slightly varied in this place, to suit the imagery of the preceding clause, where Assyria has been represented as a vine-stock. Formerly her "boughs" were to be "lopped;" now her "branches" and "sprigs" or "sprouts" are to be cut away with pruning-hooks.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

before
לִפְנֵ֤י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the harvest,
קָצִיר֙ (qā·ṣîr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7105: Severed, harvest, the crop, the time, the reaper, a limb

when the blossom
פֶּ֔רַח (pe·raḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6525: A calyx, bloom

is gone
כְּתָם־ (kə·ṯām-)
Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8552: To be complete or finished

and the flower
נִצָּ֑ה (niṣ·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5328: A blossom

becomes
יִֽהְיֶ֣ה (yih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

a ripening
גֹּמֵ֖ל (gō·mêl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1580: To deal fully or adequately with, deal out to, wean, ripen

grape,
וּבֹ֥סֶר (ū·ḇō·ser)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1155: Unripe or sour grapes

He will cut off
וְכָרַ֤ת (wə·ḵā·raṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3772: To cut, to destroy, consume, to covenant

the shoots
הַזַּלְזַלִּים֙ (haz·zal·zal·lîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2150: Tremulous, a twig

with a pruning knife,
בַּמַּזְמֵר֔וֹת (bam·maz·mê·rō·wṯ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4211: A pruning knife

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

remove
הֵתַֽז׃ (hê·ṯaz)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8456: To strike away

and discard
הֵסִ֥יר (hê·sîr)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

the branches.
הַנְּטִישׁ֖וֹת (han·nə·ṭî·šō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5189: A twig, tendril


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 18:5 For before the harvest when the blossom (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 18:4
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