In biblical times, hedges were commonly used as protective barriers around gardens and vineyards. These natural fences served multiple purposes, including safeguarding valuable crops from animals and intruders, as well as delineating property boundaries. The use of hedges is mentioned in various passages throughout the Bible, highlighting their significance in the agricultural practices of ancient Israel.

Biblical References:

1. Protection and Security:
Hedges were primarily used to protect gardens and vineyards from being trampled or consumed by wild animals and unauthorized persons. In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus refers to a hedge as a means of protection: "Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey" (Matthew 21:33). Although the Berean Standard Bible uses the term "wall," the concept of a protective barrier is consistent with the function of hedges.

2. Symbolism of Divine Protection:
Hedges also symbolize divine protection and care. In the book of Job, Satan challenges God regarding Job's faithfulness, noting the protective "hedge" God has placed around him: "Have You not placed a hedge around him and his household and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land" (Job 1:10). This metaphorical use of a hedge illustrates God's safeguarding presence over His faithful servants.

3. Judgment and Removal of Protection:
The removal of a hedge is sometimes used as a metaphor for judgment or the withdrawal of divine protection. In Isaiah, God speaks of removing the hedge around His vineyard, symbolizing the impending judgment on Israel: "Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled" (Isaiah 5:5). This imagery underscores the consequences of disobedience and the loss of divine favor.

4. Cultural and Historical Context:
In the agrarian society of ancient Israel, hedges were practical and necessary. They were often made from thorny bushes or stone walls, providing a formidable barrier against intruders. The use of hedges reflects the importance of agriculture in biblical times and the need to protect one's livelihood from external threats.

In summary, hedges in the Bible serve as a powerful symbol of protection, both in the physical sense for gardens and vineyards and in the spiritual sense for God's people. They illustrate the care and provision of God, as well as the potential consequences of turning away from His guidance.Songs 4:12
A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Lamentations 2:6
And he has violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden: he has destroyed his places of the assembly: the LORD has caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion, and has despised in the indignation of his anger the king and the priest.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Dining with a Pharisee. Sabbath Healing and Three Lessons ...
... in use had three sections which were placed together so as ... wants of the guests who
reclined around the outer ... Go out into the highways and hedges, and constrain ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xc dining with a pharisee.htm

The Annunciation of Jesus the Messiah, and the Birth of his ...
... scented oranges, silvery olive-trees, thick hedges, rich pasture ... would gather with
sympathetic joy around a home ... of prophecy which Isaiah had placed empty on ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter iv the annunciation of.htm

Christ --The Power and Wisdom of God
... planets, and those mighty stars, were placed in their ... of going to the highways and
hedges and preaching ... could see every other science revolving around in order ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/christthe power and wisdom of.htm

1875-1877. Mrs. Way's Sewing --Class for Jewesses --Bible Flower ...
... "Again the hedges, tipped with ... was in a railway-arch, here the harmonium was placed,
and two ... We closed by singing 'Around the throne of God in heaven.' During ...
//christianbookshelf.org/lowe/gods answers/chapter vi 1875-1877 mrs ways.htm

The Presentation of the Blessed virgin in the Temple
... In the hedges there were berries which they picked and ate. ... I see so many places
around me and hear so ... accompanied by the other children, and was placed on a ...
/.../emmerich/the life of the blessed virgin mary/iii the presentation of the.htm

Carey's College
... in 1854 by one Richard Linnell, who placed on the ... when quite a boy, without observation
on the hedges as he ... his head with a violent jerk, by tying around it a ...
/.../smith/the life of william carey/chapter i careys college.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... its separate quarters and its belt of gardens; and beyond ... of bitumen or lime, but
were placed in full ... This could be arranged squarely around the neck, like a ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

The First Theban Empire
... The fortress itself was entered by two gates, and posterns placed at various
points between them provided for sorties of the garrison. ...
/.../chapter iiithe first theban empire.htm

CHAP. II. 4-25 (2-23).
... In thus looking around, the Israelites would, necessarily and ... country."[Hebrew: awr]
is often placed before an ... are to be deprived of hedges, enclosures, and ...
/.../hengstenberg/christology of the old testament/chap ii 25-apr 2-23.htm

The Northern Mountains
... trees and vegetables, and fenced in with hedges of scarlet ... They cut the poor creature
down, and placed her in ... had time to lay hold of it, and around its great ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xi the northern mountains.htm

What is a hedge of protection? | GotQuestions.org

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