Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.
Yet some grapes will be left behind after the harvest, just like when you shake an olive tree—two or three olives might remain at the very top of the highest branch, and four or five might stay on the outer edges of the fruit-bearing branches. This is what the LORD God of Israel says.
God is saying that even after judgment and destruction, a small remnant will survive, like the few fruits left on a tree after harvest.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of Isaiah's prophecy against Damascus and the northern kingdom of Israel around 735-732 BC, during the time when Assyria was threatening these nations. The imagery of leftover fruit after harvest was a common metaphor in ancient agricultural societies for describing what remains after devastation or judgment.
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