If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had enough? if the grapegatherers came to thee, would they not leave [some] grapes?
Ver. 5. If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night] Or, what? have thieves come to thee? have robbers been here? O, sure it is worse than so with thee; they would never have made such clean work as they say, but have left somewhat behind them; they would never have played the harpies a in this sort, and taken all before them. Thus the neighbour nations stand wondering at this woeful desolation, and sarcastically insulting. Now to be mocked in misery is no small grief to the party. Thus the prophet pricks them by a rhetorical addubitation, the better to affect their minds with an effectual fear of no ordinary or easy calamity, but such as will be wonderful and incredible; so that they that hear of it will say,
How art thou cut off!] Or, how silent art thou! what, did thine enemies set upon thee per amica silentia lunae? did they take thee napping that they shred thee thus? Have they dealt by thee as Sir Francis Drake in his travels did by the Spaniard, whom he found sleeping on the bank of a river with many wedges of gold lying by him; he never waked the man, but eased him of his charge: or rather as Epaminondas did by the watchman, whom he found fast asleep; he thrust him through with his sword; and being chid for so severe a fact, replied, Talem eum reliqui, qualem inveni, I left him but as I found him.
If the grape gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grates?] Surely they would, Deuteronomy 24:21; there would likely be a gleaning of grapes after the vintage is done, Isaiah 24:13, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough; four or five in the outmost fruitful branches, Isaiah 17:6. It is hard but some may escape out of the battle to bring the ill news. Edom's ruin therefore and desolation was most deplorable and irreparable, since none was left alone; but all, both men and means, raked and racemated. b
a A rapacious, plundering, or grasping person; one that preys upon other ŒD
b A salt of racemic acid. ŒD