From cultivation to desolation: The vineyard as metaphor for woundedness and collective trauma in the ‘Song of the Vineyard’ (Is 5:1–7)

Integrated Biblical and Theological Studies

 
 
Field Value
 
Title From cultivation to desolation: The vineyard as metaphor for woundedness and collective trauma in the ‘Song of the Vineyard’ (Is 5:1–7)
 
Creator Esterhuizen, Elizabeth Groenewald, Alphonso
 
Subject Theology; Old Testament Studies; Isaiah Studies; Trauma Theory Song of the Vineyard; vineyard metaphor; collective trauma; trauma theory; book of Isaiah
Description In this article, we examine Isaiah 5:1–7, the ‘Song of the Vineyard’, using collective trauma theory as an interpretive lens. The analysis reveals how this prophetic poem articulates and processes shared traumatic experiences within the community. Building on contemporary trauma theory and its application to biblical literature, the current research contends that Isaiah’s vineyard metaphor functions as a trauma narrative, exposing both the collective wounds and social implications of Judah’s broken covenant relationship.Contribution: Through trauma-informed analysis, the study interprets the text while considering its historical context and provides methodological frameworks for incorporating collective trauma theory into biblical scholarship.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2026-06-04
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ibts.v2i1.12
 
Source Integrated Biblical and Theological Studies; Vol 2, No 1 (2026); 8 pages 3079-0328 3135-4610
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://ibtsjournal.org/index.php/ibts/article/view/12/57 https://ibtsjournal.org/index.php/ibts/article/view/12/58 https://ibtsjournal.org/index.php/ibts/article/view/12/59 https://ibtsjournal.org/index.php/ibts/article/view/12/60
 
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Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Elizabeth Esterhuizen, Alphonso Groenewald https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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