Isaiah 17:4-6

Isaiah 17:4-6

[4] And in that day  it shall come to pass, that the glory  of Jacob  shall be made thin,  and the fatness  of his flesh  shall wax lean.  [5] And 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.  [6] 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. 

What does Isaiah 17:4-6 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Isaiah revealed the reason for this defeat. In the day of God"s judgment (cf. Isaiah 17:7; Isaiah 17:9), Jacob"s prosperity would become lean, as when one grows old and loses his former strength, because of her unbelief: her lack of trust in God. She would experience a thorough reaping of her population, as reapers harvested abundant grain crops in the productive valley of Rephaim near Jerusalem. Yet a remnant would survive, like the few olives or fruits left after a harvest for gleaners to collect. This is what Yahweh, the God who had pledged Himself to Israel, declared.
"Judah need not fear her neighbors; it is God with whom she should come to terms." [1]