Jeremiah 49 9

Jeremiah 49:9 kjv

If grapegatherers come to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes? if thieves by night, they will destroy till they have enough.

Jeremiah 49:9 nkjv

If grape-gatherers came to you, Would they not leave some gleaning grapes? If thieves by night, Would they not destroy until they have enough?

Jeremiah 49:9 niv

If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? If thieves came during the night, would they not steal only as much as they wanted?

Jeremiah 49:9 esv

If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings? If thieves came by night, would they not destroy only enough for themselves?

Jeremiah 49:9 nlt

Those who harvest grapes
always leave a few for the poor.
If thieves came at night,
they would not take everything.

Jeremiah 49 verses

Jeremiah 49 9 meaning

Jeremiah 49:9 conveys that while human destroyers, such as grape gatherers or thieves, typically operate with a degree of limitation, leaving behind either gleanings or only taking what they desire, God's judgment against Edom will be utterly complete and exhaustive. It establishes a stark contrast: human devastation has boundaries, but divine retribution on Edom will be total, leaving nothing untouched or unconsumed. This prophecy underscores the severity and finality of God's promised judgment against the proud nation.

Jeremiah 49 9 Context

Jeremiah 49 details prophecies of judgment against several foreign nations. Verses 7-22 are specifically directed against Edom (descendants of Esau), known for its proud and defiant stance, secure in its rocky strongholds like Sela (Petra). This section opens with an oracle questioning Edom's wisdom and warning of impending desolation. Historically, Edom was a neighboring nation of Judah, frequently antagonistic and exhibiting particular cruelty during the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon.

Verse 9 fits within this context by establishing a rhetorical contrast designed to emphasize the completeness of Edom's coming destruction. Edom believed itself invincible due to its fortifications and alliances. Jeremiah uses common human experiences of partial damage—gleanings left by harvesters and limited plunder by thieves—to highlight that God's judgment will surpass these ordinary scenarios. While human actions, even malicious ones, tend to have some restraint or limitation, divine wrath against Edom will be absolute, leaving nothing of their wealth, security, or even people to remain. This serves as a strong polemic against Edom's trust in its own power and perceived invulnerability.

Jeremiah 49 9 Word analysis

• If (אִם - im): This particle introduces a conditional clause, setting up a rhetorical comparison. It doesn't imply uncertainty but establishes a hypothetical situation for the purpose of vivid contrast.
• grape gatherers (בֹּצְרִ֛ים - botzrim): Refers to those who harvest grapes. In ancient Israel, this act was governed by gleaning laws (Lev 19:10, Deut 24:21), which mandated that harvesters should not return to gather missed grapes or fallen fruit, leaving it for the poor, the sojourner, and the fatherless.
• come to you (יָבֹ֣אוּ לָ֔ךְ - yavo'u lach): Implies a normal, legitimate process of harvesting within a vineyard.
• would they not (הֲל֤וֹא - halo): A rhetorical interrogative, expecting an affirmative answer. "Surely they would."
• leave some gleanings (יַשְׁאִ֨רוּ עֽוֹלֵלֹֽות - yash'iru 'olelot):
  • leave (יַשְׁאִ֨רוּ - yash'iru): From sha'ar, to remain, leave a remnant.
  • gleanings (עוֹלֵלֹֽות - 'olelot): Grapes left behind after the main harvest. These were legally protected and intended for the needy. Even profit-driven harvesters would implicitly or explicitly leave some. This signifies a partial, not total, removal.
• If thieves (גַּנָּבִ֤ים - gannavim): Individuals engaged in illicit taking or plundering. Their actions are driven by self-interest and lawlessness.
• come by night (בַלַּ֨יְלָה - ballaylah): Emphasizes stealth and the opportunism of thieves. It's when they can operate most effectively.
• would they not (הֲל֣וֹא - halo): Again, a rhetorical interrogative expecting an affirmative.
• destroy (שְׁחַ֨תּוּ - shekhattu): To ruin, spoil, corrupt, or plunder. The focus here is on their act of taking away/damaging, not complete annihilation.
• only as much as they want (דַּיָּ֥ם - dayyam): Literally "their sufficiency" or "enough for them." Thieves take what satisfies their immediate need or greed, or what they can physically carry. They do not typically lay waste to everything indiscriminately; there's a practical limit to their plunder, leaving something behind either intentionally or unintentionally.

Words-group by Words-group analysis:

• "If grape gatherers come to you, would they not leave some gleanings?": This phrase highlights human-imposed or culturally accepted limits on destruction or resource extraction. Even in a thorough harvest, the ancient agrarian laws ensured a "remnant" for the poor. It establishes a baseline of human activity that, despite its aim (harvest), still has boundaries or provides some measure of limited recovery.
• "If thieves come by night, would they not destroy only as much as they want?": This second illustration deepens the point, moving from legal/social custom to malicious intent. Even those with no moral qualms or legal constraints—thieves seeking plunder—still operate within practical limits. They take what they can, or what they need, leaving some behind not out of mercy, but out of the sheer inability or disinterest to take everything. Both examples contrast sharply with the divine judgment that will be total and unlimited.

Jeremiah 49 9 Bonus section

The close textual similarity between Jeremiah 49:9 and Obadiah 1:5 suggests a shared prophetic tradition or perhaps one prophet drawing directly from the other's message. While Obadiah also prophecies Edom's doom, Jeremiah incorporates this specific phrase into a larger oracle against Edom within his broader collection of prophecies against foreign nations. This parallelism reinforces the impact of the message across prophetic literature concerning the completeness of Edom's destruction. The imagery of harvest and thievery resonates deeply within an agrarian society, making the point accessible and impactful to the original audience, who understood the concepts of gleaning rights and the extent of typical thievery. The theological implication is significant: divine judgment, unlike human destruction, is perfect in its execution, allowing no loophole or remaining refuge for the condemned, especially when fueled by centuries of antagonism, such as Edom's against Israel (Ps 137:7).

Jeremiah 49 9 Commentary

Jeremiah 49:9 functions as a powerful rhetorical question designed to convey the absolute nature of God's impending judgment on Edom. By referencing two common scenarios of resource extraction and destruction, the prophet skillfully sets up a contrast. The grape gatherers, even in their comprehensive harvesting, would naturally or legally leave 'gleanings'—grapes remaining after the main harvest for the poor (Lev 19:10). This speaks to a regulated or at least limited form of consumption. Similarly, thieves, despite their destructive intent, are practical; they would only 'destroy' (i.e., take and ruin) "as much as they want" or can carry, not utterly annihilating everything out of pure malice. Their greed has its own limits, leaving a portion untouched.

The implicit, yet clear, message following these rhetorical questions is that God's judgment upon Edom will far exceed these human limitations. Unlike human destroyers who leave a remnant or are constrained by practical capacity, the divine judgment will be utterly exhaustive. Edom, with its famed pride and seemingly impregnable strongholds, will be stripped bare to its foundations, leaving no remnant, no gleanings, and nothing for anyone to scavenge. This complete devastation serves as a terrifying demonstration of God's sovereign justice against nations that oppose Him and His people, revealing the depth of divine wrath against Edom's arrogant rebellion and malice. It underscores that when God executes judgment, it is not merely partial or strategic, but absolute in its intent and effect.