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H891 · Hebrew · Old Testament
בְּעֻשִׁים
Be'ushim
Noun, masculine plural
Worthless/bad grapes, wild grapes

Definition

The Hebrew noun be'ushim (plural) refers to wild, worthless, or stinking grapes — the bitter, inedible fruit that a neglected or corrupt vine produces instead of good grapes. It appears in Isaiah 5 in the famous parable of the vineyard.

Usage & Theological Significance

Isaiah 5's parable of the vineyard is one of the most powerful in the Old Testament: God planted Israel as His choice vine, expecting justice and righteousness, but found only the wild, worthless grapes of injustice and bloodshed. The contrast between expected fruit and actual be'ushim captures the tragedy of covenant unfaithfulness. Jesus echoes this parable in Mark 12, applying it to the religious leaders of His day. The New Testament response is the true vine (John 15) — Christ Himself who bears the fruit the old vineyard could not produce.

Key Bible Verses

Isaiah 5:2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes (be'ushim).
Isaiah 5:4 What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes (be'ushim)?
Mark 12:1 And he began to speak to them in parables. 'A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it.'
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.
Matthew 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

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