And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
He fenced it - digged and trenched the ground to prepare it for planting the vines (Maurer). But Buxtorf as the English version. God with His protection fenced Israel from the inroads of neighbouring states.
And planted it with the choicest vine - Hebrew, soreequ. It perhaps takes its name from Sorek, mentioned And planted it with the choicest vine - Hebrew, soreequ. It perhaps takes its name from Sorek, mentioned in Judges 16:4, not far from Eshcol, which was famed for its grapes. The name of The Sorek grape appears still in Morocco, serki. The grapes had scarcely perceptible stones; the Persian kishmish or bedana, i:e., without seed (Genesis 49:11). God planted holy patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, and the Judges in the land. The blame of the wildness of The grapes cannot be laid on the seed from which they spring.
And built a tower - to watch the vineyard against the depredations of man or beast, and for the use of the owner (Matthew 21:33).
And also made a winepress - including the wine-fat: both hewn, for coolness, out of the rocky undersoil of the vineyard.
It brought forth wild grapes. The Hebrew х waya`as (H6213), to putrefy], Beushim expresses offensive putrefaction, answering to the corrupt state of the Jews. Fetid fruit of the wild vine (Maurer), instead of 'choicest' grapes. Of the poisonous monkshood (Gesenius). The Arabs call the fruit of the nightshade 'wolf-grapes' (Deuteronomy 32:32-33; 2 Kings 4:39-41). Jerome tries to specify the details of the parable: the 'fence,' angels; and the law (Origen), the 'stones gathered out,' idols; the "tower," the temple "in the midst" of Judea; the "winepress," the altar.