John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 17:11

"In the day of thy planting thou hedgest it in, and in the morning thou makest thy seed to blossom; but the harvest fleeth away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow." — Isaiah 17:11 (ASV)

In the day. This denotes the incessant labor that is bestowed on plants and seeds. Yet we might understand it to mean the fruit that is yielded, as if a vine newly planted would immediately produce wine. And this agrees with the next clause, in which the morning is used for the day. This seems to denote sudden maturity, unless perhaps this also is supposed to denote carefulness, because from the very earliest dawn they will devote themselves to labor.

The words are somewhat ambiguous; for some render them, “the removing of the branch on the day of affliction.” But as נחלח (năchălāh) means “an inheritance,” here, in my opinion, it literally denotes produce. It is not derived from חלה (chālāh), and I do not see how the word “Branch” agrees with it. I grant, indeed, that as vines are mentioned, the word Harvest is used (καταχρηστικῶς) differently from its natural meaning.

It might also be rendered 'Collector'; and yet I do not choose to dispute keenly about these two meanings, for the meaning will be the same, provided that נחלח (nāchălāh) is understood to denote “the gathering of the fruits.” In this way the passage will flow easily enough. “Though you labor hard in dressing the vines, and though you begin your toil at the earliest dawn, you will gain nothing; for by the mere shaking of the branches the fruit will fall off of its own accord, or your vines will be plundered.” Thus, by a figure of speech in which a part is taken for the whole, the word plant denotes that unwearied toil that husbandmen and vine-dressers are accustomed to bestow on plants and vines.

This is a very severe punishment, and undoubtedly proceeds from the curse of God, for if someone who has no possession is driven out and banished from a country, he will not be made so uneasy as the man who has well-cultivated fields, especially if he has bestowed his labor on them for a long time. In this manner the Lord determined to punish the Israelites, because they abused the fertility of the country and grew self-indulgent in their abundance.

A similar punishment is also threatened against the wicked in general terms, that in vain do they rise early, and vex themselves with unremitted toil; for they gain nothing by it (Psalms 127:2). On the other hand, it is declared that those who trust in the Lord will undoubtedly receive the reward of their toil, for the blessing of God will accompany their labors (Psalms 128:2, 4).