If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet's exclamation, "how you have been destroyed!" breaks in mid-sentence, not just to express sympathy, but to reveal that Edom's devastation is unlike ordinary plunder; it's so complete that even thieves or grape-gatherers, who always leave something behind, would have taken more carefully than Edom's destroyers. This highlights that Edom isn't just suffering from a raid, but from a divinely orchestrated judgment leaving absolutely nothing.
If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Obadiah, speaking for God, is exposing the pride and cruelty of Edom towards their brother nation, Judah. Edom has sided with Judah's enemies and profited from their suffering. Obadiah declares that Edom's own destruction is imminent and will be far more complete than any ordinary raid or harvest loss. This intense judgment is a direct consequence of their harmful actions against their own kin.
Ever experienced a loss so total it felt like more than just a simple theft? Obadiah uses everyday scenarios to reveal something far more profound about God's judgment.
What is 'Enough'?
Think about a thief. They have a goal: to take what they can carry, what's valuable, and escape. They're limited by time, by their own greed, and by the risk of getting caught. They take what they need or want and then they're gone.
Now, imagine grape gatherers. Even they, in their work, leave some behind – missed bunches, scattered grapes. It's a natural part of the process.
Obadiah contrasts these limited acts of plunder with what's coming for Edom. God's judgment isn't like a common thief who only takes enough, or like grape gatherers who leave gleanings. It's total. Complete. Nothing is left behind.
Amidst describing Edom's destruction, the prophet cries out, 'how art thou cut off!' Why this sudden, almost sympathetic lament?
More Than Enemy Action
The phrase 'how art thou cut off!' isn't just an observation; it's an exclamation. It bursts out from Obadiah as he sees, in vision, the complete and utter devastation awaiting Edom. It's so thorough, so absolute, that it seems to go beyond the actions of ordinary enemies.
This outcry reveals that the prophet recognizes a higher power at work. It's not just human conflict; it's divine judgment. The sheer completeness of Edom's ruin prompts this astonished lament, highlighting that God's hand is decisively against them.
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Understand the original words
shoded · Hebrew Noun
Individuals who forcibly take property or wealth from others, often associated with judgment, war, or divine retribution for sins.
The prophecy in Obadiah speaks to a complete devastation of Edom, far exceeding typical raids by thieves or harvesters. This imagery highlights that Edom's destruction, likely by the Babylonians during their imperial expansion and subsequent exiles, was an act of divine judgment, unlike the limited spoil taken by ordinary raiders.
c. 840 BC
Jehoram's Reign and Edomite Rebellion
During the reign of King Jehoram of Judah, the Edomites rebelled and established their own king, asserting their independence from Judah. This act signifies a historical tension and conflict between the two nations descended from brothers Jacob and Esau.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Campaigns in Judah
The Assyrian Empire, under Sennacherib, campaigns in the region, impacting Judah. While not directly targeting Edom, these large-scale military actions and shifting political powers in the Near East created an environment of instability and conflict that affected surrounding nations.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportations
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon begins his campaigns against Judah, leading to the first wave of deportations to Babylon. This marks the rise of Babylon as a major imperial power and the beginning of the Judean exile.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's forces completely destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, ending the Davidic monarchy and leading to a massive exile of the Judean population. This event is a pivotal moment of judgment for Judah.
c. 582 BC— this verse
Further Babylonian Exiles
Babylon conducts further deportations from the region, including from areas surrounding Judah. Edom is implicated in the downfall of Jerusalem, likely by aiding the Babylonians or attacking fleeing Judeans, leading to divine judgment against them.
c. 539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon. This marks the end of the Babylonian exile and the beginning of the Persian period, which would eventually allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem.
This passage describes a similar complete plundering of Edom, asking if thieves or grape gatherers would leave so little behind, directly paralleling Obadiah's imagery.
Isaiah 17:6This verse speaks of gleaning left after a harvest, but in Obadiah, even that small remnant is denied to Edom, highlighting the totality of their judgment.
Jeremiah 50:23The prophet's lament, 'How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken!' echoes the bewildered exclamation in Obadiah, 'how art thou cut off!', both expressing shock at utter destruction.
Psalm 73:19This psalm expresses astonishment at the swift and complete destruction of the wicked, mirroring the prophet's amazement at Edom's ruin in Obadiah 1:5.
barnesObadiah 1:5: "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?"
If thieves came to thee - The prophet describes their future punishment, by contrast with that which, as a marauding people, they well knew. Thieves and robbers spoil only for their petty end. They take what comes to hand; what they can, they carry off shortness of time, difficulty of transport…
ellicottObadiah 1:5: "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?"
(5-9) The completeness of the overthrow awaiting Edom. It is no mere inroad of a marauding tribe. Something would escape the robber, though he might go away quite satisfied with his plunder; and even a raid in vintage time, for the purpose of doing all the mischief possible to the country, woul…
The prophet's exclamation, "how you have been destroyed!" breaks in mid-sentence, not just to express sympathy, but to reveal that Edom's devastation is unlike ordinary plunder; it's so complete that even thieves or grape-gatherers, who always leave something behind, would have taken more carefully than Edom's destroyers. This highlights that Edom isn't just suffering from a raid, but from a divinely orchestrated judgment leaving absolutely nothing.
The prophet Obadiah, speaking for God, is exposing the pride and cruelty of Edom towards their brother nation, Judah. Edom has sided with Judah's enemies and profited from their suffering. Obadiah declares that Edom's own destruction is imminent and will be far more complete than any ordinary raid or harvest loss. This intense judgment is a direct consequence of their harmful actions against their own kin.
The prophet Obadiah, speaking for God, is exposing the pride and cruelty of Edom towards their brother nation, Judah. Edom has sided with Judah's enemies and profited from their suffering. Obadiah declares that Edom's own destruction is imminent and will be far more complete than any ordinary raid or harvest loss. This intense judgment is a direct consequence of their harmful actions against their own kin.
"If thieves came to you, if plunderers came by night— how you have been destroyed!— would they not steal only enough for themselves? If grape gatherers came to you, would they not leave gleanings?" — The prophet's exclamation, "how you have been destroyed!" breaks in mid-sentence, not just to express sympathy, but to reveal that Edom's devastation is unlike ordinary plunder; it's so complete that…
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Last reviewed October 2026