בְּאֻשִׁים
poison-berries
Definition
The Hebrew noun בְּאֻשִׁים (bᵉʼushîym) refers to a type of inedible or poisonous berry, often translated as 'wild grapes' or 'stinking fruit.' It is the plural form of a word meaning something foul or rotten. In its two biblical occurrences, it serves as a powerful metaphor. In Isaiah 5:2, 4, the prophet describes God's vineyard (Israel) that, despite careful cultivation, yielded only these worthless, poisonous berries instead of good grapes. The word thus signifies a corrupt and disappointing product, the opposite of what was expected and desired.
Biblical Usage
This word is used exclusively in the book of Isaiah, in the 'Song of the Vineyard' (Isaiah 5:1-7). In both occurrences (Isaiah 5:2 and 5:4), it is the disappointing yield of God's chosen people, Israel. The usage is entirely metaphorical, contrasting God's righteous expectation with the nation's moral and spiritual failure. The pattern is clear: divine investment should produce good fruit, but instead produced something toxic and useless.
Etymology
בְּאֻשִׁים is the plural form of the masculine noun בְּאֹשׁ (bᵉʼosh, H889), which means 'a stinking or worthless thing.' It derives from the root באשׁ (B-ʼ-Sh), which carries the core meaning of 'to be bad, evil, or foul,' often in a physical sense of smelling rotten. The plural form here intensifies the concept, indicating an abundance of foul, inedible fruit.
Semantic Range
This word is theologically significant as the centerpiece of Isaiah's parable of divine judgment. It encapsulates the concept of covenant failure: God's people, chosen and nurtured, produced not righteousness but moral corruption ('wild grapes'). Understanding this Hebrew metaphor enriches the reading of Isaiah 5 and New Testament passages about fruit-bearing (e.g., Matthew 7:16-20, John 15:1-8), highlighting the serious consequences of failing to live up to God's gracious calling.
In an agrarian society, a carefully tended vineyard yielding only poisonous berries would represent a total agricultural and economic disaster. The audience would immediately grasp the profound disappointment and wasted effort. The 'wild grapes' were not merely sour or unripe, but actively harmful, making the metaphor for Israel's sin—not just inadequacy, but active evil—even more potent.
עֲנָבִים (ʻănâbîym, H6025) — This is the word for actual, good 'grapes,' the positive counterpart that highlights the failure of the בְּאֻשִׁים.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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