The plot in which grapes are raised. Vineyards are one of the standard signs of agricultural wealth in Palestine in biblical times. Although the proper handling of such property was extensively defined in various law codes (Exod 22:5; Exod 23:11; Lev 19:10; Lev 25:3; Lev 25:4; Deut 20:6; Deut 22:9; Deut 23:24; Deut 24:21; Deut 28:30), breaches of treatment were found even in royalty (1Kgs 21:1-18). Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard” is a masterful review of standard viticulture applied to the life of a people (Isa 5:1-7). As vineyards were a sign of divine blessing, their absence was a metaphor of divine judgment (Jer 35:7; Jer 35:9). The vineyard as a common scene of labor was used in a parable of Jesus found in all three synoptic Gospels (Mark 12:1-9; Matt 20:1-16 Luke 20:9-16).
