“He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.”
This is saying that the Lord has let loose the dogs of war in righteous anger for the sin of slavery. Literally trampling out the vintage is taking action to squeeze the juice out of the grapes, to make wine. The second definition of the word vintage is “relating to or denoting wine of high quality.” Metaphorically then God is taking action, through the Union Army, to smite the forces wishing to perpetuate slavery.
The grapes of wrath have been stored, like a spring compressed and ready to spring, until shots were fired at Fort Sumter. Then God trampled out the wine, or vintage, of retribution which flow terribly like the blood of dead and wounded soldiers. Using the word vineyard would be wholly inappropriate.
“Using the word vineyard would be wholly inappropriate.”
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