Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The imagery of the "two or three berries in the top of the highest bough" and "four or five on the branches of a fruit tree" highlights that what remains is not valuable or easily accessible, implying a sparse and impoverished remnant left after judgment. This suggests that those left behind are not the strongest or most prominent, but rather the overlooked and perhaps less significant survivors.
Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree, declares the LORD God of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Following prophecies against Damascus and the surrounding Arameans, Isaiah turns to address the northern kingdom of Israel (often referred to as Ephraim). The Lord declares that their fortified cities and kingdom will be struck down, leaving only a tiny remnant behind, much like the few remaining olives on an olive tree after it has been thoroughly shaken. This devastation is a consequence of their forgetting and turning away from God, their true source of strength and salvation.
When judgment falls, does anything remain? This verse paints a stark picture, but it's not one of total annihilation.
Isaiah uses the imagery of a harvested olive tree to describe the aftermath of judgment. Imagine an olive tree that has been beaten to yield its fruit. Most of the olives have fallen, but a few cling stubbornly to the highest branches or the most fruitful limbs.
This isn't about a failed harvest; it's about a deliberate, incomplete one. The process of beating the tree is meant to dislodge the fruit, but the farmer knows that some will always be out of reach. These remaining olives, described as 'two or three' or 'four or five,' represent a remnant. They are the overlooked, the inaccessible, the ones that survive the initial stripping away.
Who is speaking in this verse? It's not just an observation about trees; it's a divine pronouncement.
The phrase 'declares the LORD God of Israel' is crucial here. This isn't a natural phenomenon or a random occurrence; it's God's sovereign action and declaration. When God speaks, His words carry weight and reality.
This confirms that the 'gleaning' left behind isn't accidental. It's preserved by divine will. Even in the midst of a judgment that sweeps through like a harsh harvest, God Himself ensures that a portion remains. This remnant is not left by chance but by His decree.
Understand the original words
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Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of God, revealing His self-existence, eternal nature, and faithfulness to His people, particularly in the context of covenant relationship.
Elohei Yisra'el · Hebrew Proper Noun Phrase
The title for God emphasizing His covenant relationship with the nation of Israel and His role as their protector and sovereign ruler.
This prophecy speaks of a devastating future for Israel, mirroring the Assyrian destruction of the northern kingdom. The image of a few olives left on the tree highlights that even in utter devastation, God preserves a remnant, a theme that echoes through Israel's history, especially during the later Babylonian exile.
Late 8th century BC
Syro-Ephraimite War
The kings of Syria (Aram) and Israel (Ephraim) formed an alliance to invade Judah and possibly depose King Ahaz. Isaiah's prophecy against Damascus and Ephraim likely originated during this conflict or in its immediate aftermath.
732 BC
Fall of Damascus
The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III conquered and devastated Damascus, the capital of Syria, fulfilling part of Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 17.
722 BC— this verse
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian Empire conquered the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim), destroying its capital, Samaria, and deporting much of its population. This event is the primary context for Isaiah's prophecy of the remnant left in Israel.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, destroying many cities but failing to conquer Jerusalem. This further solidified Assyrian dominance in the region.
605-539 BC
Babylonian Exile
Following the fall of Assyria, the Babylonian Empire conquered Judah. Most of the remaining Jewish population was exiled to Babylon, though a remnant eventually returned.
This passage describes leaving gleanings in the field for the poor, a concept mirrored in Isaiah's imagery of leftover olives, highlighting a divine concern for the vulnerable even amidst judgment.
Deuteronomy 24:20-21Similar to Isaiah's text, this law commands leaving some fruit on the trees and in the field for the gleaner, underscoring the agricultural practice that informs the prophet's metaphor for a sparse remnant.
Isaiah 24:13This verse uses similar imagery of a sparse remnant after a harvest is shaken, reinforcing the theme of desolation and survival within Isaiah's broader prophecies of judgment.
Amos 4:7This passage also speaks of a remnant left after judgment, using agricultural metaphors to show how God withholds his blessing, a parallel to the idea of a few left behind after a devastating blow.
Zechariah 13:8-9This prophecy explicitly states that two-thirds will be cut off and die, but one-third will be left, directly echoing Isaiah's imagery of a small remnant surviving severe judgment.
barnesIsaiah 17:6: "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."
Yet gleaning-grapes ... - They shall not all be removed, or destroyed. A "few" shall be left, as a man who is gathering grapes or olives will leave a few that are inaccessible on the topmost boughs, or the furthest branches. Those would be usually the poorest, and so i…
wesleyIsaiah 17:6: "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."
17:6 Yet - Some few Israelites were left after their captivity, who joined themselves to Judah, and were carried captive to Babylon with them, from whence also they returned with them.
The imagery of the "two or three berries in the top of the highest bough" and "four or five on the branches of a fruit tree" highlights that what remains is not valuable or easily accessible, implying a sparse and impoverished remnant left after judgment. This suggests that those left behind are not the strongest or most prominent, but rather the overlooked and perhaps less significant survivors.
Following prophecies against Damascus and the surrounding Arameans, Isaiah turns to address the northern kingdom of Israel (often referred to as Ephraim). The Lord declares that their fortified cities and kingdom will be struck down, leaving only a tiny remnant behind, much like the few remaining olives on an olive tree after it has been thoroughly shaken. This devastation is a consequence of their forgetting and turning away from God, their true source of strength and salvation.
Following prophecies against Damascus and the surrounding Arameans, Isaiah turns to address the northern kingdom of Israel (often referred to as Ephraim). The Lord declares that their fortified cities and kingdom will be struck down, leaving only a tiny remnant behind, much like the few remaining olives on an olive tree after it has been thoroughly shaken. This devastation is a consequence of their forgetting and turning away from God, their true source of strength and salvation.
"Gleanings will be left in it, as when an olive tree is beaten— two or three berries in the top of the highest bough, four or five on the branches of a fruit tree,…" — The imagery of the "two or three berries in the top of the highest bough" and "four or five on the branches of a fruit tree" highlights that what remains is not valuable or easily accessible, implyin…
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Last reviewed October 2026