This masculine plural noun refers to the choice branches or tendrils of grapevines, appearing in Isaiah's lament over Moab's destroyed vineyards. These branches represent the productive, fruit-bearing parts of the vine that spread outward, or possibly the choice clusters that hang from them. The term may derive from the red color of ripened grapes or autumn leaves. In Isaiah 16:8, the 'choice branches' of Heshbon's vines once reached far and spread out abundantly, symbolizing Moab's agricultural prosperity. Their breaking represents economic and national devastation.