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?
If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen until they bad enough? if the grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some grapes? The spoliation which thou shalt suffer shall not be such as that which thieves cause, bad as that is, for these, when they have seized enough, or all they can get in a hurry, leave the rest-nor such as grape-gatherers cause in a vineyard, for they, when they have gathered most of the grapes, leave gleanings behind-but it shall be utter, so as to leave thee nothing. The exclamation, "how art thou cut off!" bursting in amidst the words of the image, marks strongly excited feeling. The contrast between Edom, where no gleanings shall be left, and Israel, where at the worst a gleaning is left, is striking (Isaiah 17:6; Isaiah 24:13).