Isaiah 17:5-6 · Bible study
Isaiah 17:5-6 Commentary: Judgment and Remnant
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 17:5-6 uses harvest and olive tree similes to depict thorough judgment on Israel while promising a remnant. Study the original language and context.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Divine judgment against Israel will be thorough (harvest), yet God will preserve a small remnant (gleaning/olive leftovers).
- Key words: Nish’ar (“it will be left”, perfect certainty); noqef zayit (“beating of an olive tree”); amir (tree-top, unique to Isaiah 17).
- Main debate: Whether “harvest” is complete annihilation or allows for the remnant; most see both judgment and mercy.
- Theological theme: The remnant, God’s faithfulness to His covenant promises despite human unfaithfulness.
- Best use: Preaching or teaching on the nature of judgment, the certainty of a remnant, and the historical specificity of prophecy.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
5as the reaper gathers the standing grain and harvests the ears with his arm, as one gleans heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim.
6Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten— two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.
WEB World English Bible 2000
5It will be like when the harvester gathers the wheat, and his arm reaps the grain. Yes, it will be like when one gleans grain in the valley of Rephaim.
6Yet gleanings will be left there, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outermost branches of a fruitful tree,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel.
KJV King James Version 1769
5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6Yet 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the standing grain, and his arm reapeth the ears; yea, it shall be as when one gleaneth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6Yet there shall be left therein gleanings, as the shaking of an olive-tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost branches of a fruitful tree, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
5And it hath come to pass, As the gathering by the reaper of the standing corn, And his arm the ears reapeth, And it hath come to pass, As the gathering of the ears in the valley of Rephaim,
6And left in him have been gleanings, As the compassing of an olive, Two--three berries on the top of a branch, Four--five on the fruitful boughs, The affirmation of Jehovah, God of Israel!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
5And it shall be as when the reaper gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; yea, it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6And a gleaning shall be left in it, as at the shaking of an olive-tree: two, three berries above, in the tree-top; four, five in its fruitful boughs, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
5And it shall be as when one gathereth in the harvest that which remaineth, and his arm shall gather the ears of corn: and it shall be as he that seeketh ears in the vale of Raphaim.
6And the fruit thereof that shall be left upon it, shall be as one cluster of grapes, and as the shaking of the olive tree, two or three berries in the top of a bough, or four or five upon the top of the tree, saith the Lord the God of Israel.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 17:5
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Isaiah 17:5-6 forms a matched pair. Verse 5 uses a harvest simile to describe the thoroughness of divine judgment: the reaper gathers the standing grain and cuts the ears, leaving virtually nothing. The valley of Rephaim, a fertile area near Jerusalem (Joshua 15:8; 2 Samuel 5:18), makes the image vivid and concrete. Verse 6 then shifts to an olive-tree simile, promising that gleanings will remain, a few olives on the high branches that the beater could not reach. Calvin reads this as both severity and mercy: “amidst the heaviest vengeance there will still be room for mercy.” Barnes and Matthew Henry apply the passage to the Assyrian destruction of the ten tribes (2 Kings 17:6), with a small remnant spared for survival or return. The verb nish’ar (נִשְׁאַר, “it will be left,” perfect of sha’ar) states the survival with certainty. The specific numbers, two or three, four or five, underscore both the smallness and the fact of a remnant.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The passage describes a judgment that leaves only a tiny remnant, symbolized by leftover ears of grain and a few olives on high branches.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of the harvest and gleaning imagery | The harvest simile in v.5 represents the thorough removal of the people of Israel by Assyria, and v.6 promises that a few will survive. | Some commentators (e.g., Calvin) emphasize that the remnant is God’s elect preserved in mercy; others (e.g., Matthew Henry) see it as literal survivors who join Judah. The image of gleaning grapes vs. olives also differs across translations (KJV reads 'gleaning grapes,' WEB and others read 'gleanings' or 'olive berries'). |
| Location and significance of the valley of Rephaim | The valley of Rephaim is a real fertile valley southwest of Jerusalem, associated with harvest and battle locations. | Gill and Barnes treat it as a literal place that Isaiah used for its fertility; the Cambridge Bible suggests the name 'giants' may add a symbolic layer; some modern readers see it as purely poetic. |
| The identity of the remnant | A small part of Israel would survive the Assyrian destruction. | Some (Wesley) see the remnant as those who joined Judah and later returned from exile; others (Keil-Delitzsch) view it as a spiritual remnant from whom repentance came (v.7). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The oracle of Isaiah 17 addresses Syria (Damascus) and Israel (Ephraim), who had formed an alliance. Verses 5-6 focus on Israel’s fate, delivered by the Assyrians. During Isaiah’s ministry, Tiglath-pileser III (2 Kings 15:29) and Shalmaneser V (2 Kings 17:6) carried the northern kingdom into captivity. This military action is depicted through agricultural metaphors familiar to an agrarian audience.
The valley of Rephaim provides a specific geographical anchor. Located southwest of Jerusalem, it was known for its fertility and its role in David’s battles against the Philistines (2 Samuel 5:18-22). By naming this place, Isaiah grounds his prophecy in a location his hearers could picture, a rich grain field being fully harvested, then gleaned until little remained. The Rephaim (“giants”) were an ancient people, adding a layer of historical depth: the valley that once saw giants now witnesses an even greater devastation.
The olive tree image introduces a second crop. Olives were harvested by beating the branches with a stick (Deuteronomy 24:20). The highest and outermost branches were hard to reach, so a few olives always remained. The law reserved these gleanings for the poor, a practice that gave the remnant its social character, the leftover were the lowly. Cambridge Bible notes that the word for “uppermost bough” (amir) occurs only here and in verse 9, suggesting a deliberate inclusio. The vivid, concrete details root the prophecy in the land Judah knew intimately.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note one significant textual variant. Adam Clarke observes that one manuscript and one ancient edition read beesoph (“in gathering”) instead of keasoph (“as the gathering”) in verse 5. This does not change the sense of the simile. The Hebrew שִׁבֳּלִים (ears of grain) is consistent across witnesses. No major variants affect the meaning of verse 6. The spelling of Rephaim (רְפָאִים) fluctuates in the versions but is stable in the Hebrew.
Reception History
Isaiah 17:5-6 has been widely read across church history as a classic expression of the remnant theme. Early church fathers like Jerome noted the paradox of judgment and mercy. In the Reformation, Calvin used the passage to argue that God always preserves a seed of his people even in the harshest judgments. Matthew Henry’s commentary draws pastoral comfort from the promise: “there is mercy in the midst of judgment.” The harvest imagery entered hymnody (e.g., Isaac Watts’ paraphrases) as a warning and a plea. In modern preaching, the passage is often applied to periods of national or personal crisis, emphasizing that God’s judgment is not his final word. The remnant theology here parallels Paul’s teaching in Romans 9:27-29, where a remnant is saved by grace.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The sweep of judgment (v.5): The harvest image suggests total removal. Assyria acted as God’s reaper, cutting down the standing grain of Israel’s population. This fulfilled the “lean glory” announced in verse 4.
- The sovereign mercy of a remnant (v.6): God reserves a few for himself. The olive tree’s high branches and the field’s scattered ears both point to the same truth: judgment is not the last word.
- Hope after harvest (v.7-8, continue the passage): The remnant does not stay in despair. They look to their Maker and turn from idols. The harvest of judgment becomes the seedbed of repentance.
Five-point outline
- God’s judgment is thorough, like a reaper who misses nothing.
- It is local and historical, the valley of Rephaim shows that faith deals with real places, not abstractions.
- Judgment is not final, a gleaning remains, like olives left for the poor.
- The remnant is small but certain, the numbers “two or three” and “four or five” are exact. God counts what he saves.
- The remnant exists for a purpose, to turn to the Creator (v.7-8).
Illustration hooks
- Clearing a bookshelf: When you donate or discard most of your books, you keep one or two that are essential. The others are gone, but the ones remaining shape your reading for years.
- Harvesting a garden: A gardener picks the ripe vegetables but leaves a few small ones for the next day. They seem insignificant, but they are the promise of a second harvest.
- Airline overbooking: A gate agent calls for volunteers to give up seats. One seat is left after the rush, the person who remains gets through, not by strength but by being overlooked.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Does God’s judgment mean he has abandoned his people forever?” This passage answers with a clear “no.”
- “Why does God save only a few? Is that fair?” The remnant shows grace, not merit. It is a gift, not a reward.
- “What is the valley of Rephaim and why does it matter?” It makes the prophecy historically anchored, God works in real places, not myths.
Leading a Discussion
This passage is about God’s judgment on his own people, but it is not the end of the story. The same God who sends the reaper also leaves the gleaning. In your group, explore how the two images, harvest and olive tree, work together to show both severity and kindness.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 5-6 aloud. What words or images catch your attention first?
- The reaper uses his arm to gather the ears of grain. How does this body-language communicate thoroughness?
- Why do you think the prophet mentions the specific valley of Rephaim? What difference does a location make?
- Verse 6 shifts from grain to olives. Why two different crops? What does each emphasize about the remnant?
- The numbers two, three, four, five, are they exact or symbolic? How does that affect how you read the promise?
- If you were among the “remnant” left in Israel, how would this prophecy feel? Hope? Guilt? Relief?
- In your life, where have you experienced a “gleaning”, something small that made a big difference in a time of loss?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Joshua 15:8 | The border went up by the valley of the son of Hinnom to the side of the Jebusite (also called Jerusalem) southward; and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lies before the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the farthest part of the valley of Rephaim northward. |
| Joshua 18:16 | The border went down to the farthest part of the mountain that lies before the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is in the valley of Rephaim northward. It went down to the valley of Hinnom, to the side of the Jebusite southward, and went down to En Rogel. |
| II Samuel 5:18 | Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| II Samuel 5:22 | The Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. |
| Isaiah 17:11 | In the day of your planting, you hedge it in. In the morning, you make your seed blossom, but the harvest flees away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. |
| Jeremiah 9:22 | Speak, “Yahweh says, “‘The dead bodies of men will fall as dung on the open field, and as the handful after the harvester. No one will gather them.’” |
| Jeremiah 51:33 | For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time when it is trodden. Yet a little while, and the time of harvest comes for her.” |
| Hosea 6:11 | “Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke reads this as the Assyrian king sweeping away the entire population, like a reaper stripping a whole harvest. The remnant is no more than scattered ears left for gleaners. The valley of Rephaim, famous for its plentiful harvest, is used poetically for any fruitful country.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the harvest imagery as a prophecy of total removal: the Assyrians would gather Israel's people and wealth like a farmer cuts and collects grain, then haul them away. The gleaning figure shows only a poor, inaccessible remnant left behind, like a few grapes on high branches or olives that cannot be shaken down.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the shift from total destruction to the preservation of a remnant. The harvest metaphor shows God's complete judgment, but the gleaning metaphor assures that God will always reserve a small number for Himself, proving His covenant endures even when the visible church seems gone.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights Isaiah's intimate knowledge of rural life, showing how he uses precise, graphic scenes of reaping and olive gathering to describe Ephraim's fate. The process of cutting grain and beating olive branches, leaving scraps for the poor, is drawn from the actual valley of Rephaim where Isaiah had watched workers.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize the severity of God's judgment by comparing the survivors to a handful of olives left on the highest branches after the tree is shaken. Just as the harvest leaves almost nothing behind, only a tiny remnant of Israel will remain after the coming devastation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill depicts Assyria as a harvester who cuts down the standing corn of Israel with effortless speed, leaving the field stripped. Only a tiny remnant escapes, like a few olives left unreachable on
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws a stark harvest analogy: God will sweep away Israel's people and wealth as thoroughly as a farmer gathers every stalk of grain, leaving only a handful behind. The few survivors will be like hard-to-reach olives left on the highest branches, barely worth the trouble to collect.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch identifies the remnant principle as the fixed law of Israel's history: judgment reduces the nation to a tiny gleaning, but that purified remnant then looks only to its Creator. They specify that
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees the prophecy as tracing Ephraim's decline to near extinction through three images, but the point is the remnant that survives. That tiny gleaning, not the destruction, is the focus because it will turn to God and abandon idols, a process he says still continues.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry highlights the merciful remnant preserved in the midst of overwhelming judgment. Though most are swept away, a very small number escape, like a few olives left on the highest branches after shaking. These survivors are distinguished by turning from idols to look to their Maker.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads the gathering as a complete removal of the ten tribes, leaving