The Meaning of Obadiah 1:5 Explained

Obadiah 1:5

KJV: 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?

YLT: If thieves have come in to thee, If spoilers of the night, How hast thou been cut off! Do they not steal their sufficiency? If gatherers have come in to thee, Do they not leave gleanings?

Darby: If thieves had come to thee, if robbers by night, (how art thou cut off!) would they not have stolen till they had had enough? If grape-gatherers had come to thee, would they not have left some gleanings?

ASV: If thieves came to thee, if robbers by night (how art thou cut off!), would they not steal only till they had enough? if grape-gatherers came to thee, would they not leave some gleaning grapes?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does Obadiah 1:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Obadiah 1

1  The destruction of Edom,
3  for their pride,
10  and for their wrong unto Jacob
17  The salvation and victory of Jacob

What do the individual words in Obadiah 1:5 mean?

If thieves had come to you robbers by night Oh how you will be cut off would not they have stolen till they had enough grape-gatherers had come to you they have left [some] gleanings
אִם־ גַּנָּבִ֤ים בָּאֽוּ־ לְךָ֙ שׁ֣וֹדְדֵי לַ֔יְלָה אֵ֣יךְ נִדְמֵ֔יתָה הֲל֥וֹא יִגְנְב֖וּ ؟ דַּיָּ֑ם בֹּֽצְרִים֙ בָּ֣אוּ לָ֔ךְ יַשְׁאִ֥ירוּ ؟ עֹלֵלֽוֹת

גַּנָּבִ֤ים  thieves 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: גַּנָּב  
Sense: thief.
בָּאֽוּ־  had  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לְךָ֙  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
שׁ֣וֹדְדֵי  robbers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
לַ֔יְלָה  by  night 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לַיִל 
Sense: night.
אֵ֣יךְ  Oh  how 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֵיךְ 
Sense: how? interj.
נִדְמֵ֔יתָה  you  will  be  cut  off 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּמָה 
Sense: to cease, cause to cease, cut off, destroy, perish.
הֲל֥וֹא  would  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִגְנְב֖וּ  they  have  stolen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּנַב  
Sense: to steal, steal away, carry away.
؟ דַּיָּ֑ם  till  they  had  enough 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: בְּדֵי 
Sense: sufficiency, enough.
בֹּֽצְרִים֙  grape-gatherers 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּצַר 
Sense: to gather, restrain, fence, fortify, make inaccessible, enclose.
בָּ֣אוּ  had  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
לָ֔ךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
יַשְׁאִ֥ירוּ  they  have  left 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁאַר  
Sense: to remain, be left over, be left behind.
؟ עֹלֵלֽוֹת  [some]  gleanings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: עֹלֵלֹות  
Sense: gleaning.