A grim prophecy paints a picture of near-total destruction, illustrating how few will survive the coming devastation and the miserable state they will be in. God clarifies that the impending deliverance from the enemy will not be a true salvation, but merely the survival of a few isolated remnants.
To convey this, the imagery draws upon the daily life of a shepherd and biblical law. When a predator attacks a sheep, a shepherd does not attempt to wrest edible meat from the lion's jaws. Instead, he retrieves only small, useless scraps to serve as legal proof for the flock's owner that the animal was torn by a wild beast and not stolen. These scraps might be just two legs, which a lion typically consumes last [רד״ק], or a piece of an ear, left behind because its hard cartilage contains no meat [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק].
Just as these remnants are meager and devoid of value, so too will be the surviving Israelites. The lone survivors remaining in Samaria—the kingdom's capital and the final city to fall—will not be mighty warriors or heroes, but only the weak and the sick [אבן עזרא, אברבנאל]. In their desperation, these frail individuals will huddle and hide in the dark corners of their beds, hoping to escape the enemy's notice [אבן עזרא, רד״ק].
The descriptions of this sickbed—typically reserved for the vulnerable, such as the ill, women, or children [מלבי״ם]—capture the depths of this misery. Some understand the imagery as referring to the secluded, shadowy angles of the bed where the sick cower [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Others see a reflection of physical agony, describing a mattress soiled and soaked in sweat due to the patient's severe weakness [מצודת ציון]. This suffering manifests either as a patient helplessly tossing and turning in pain [אברבנאל], or conversely, as someone entirely bedridden and unable to move [אבן עזרא]. Taking the geographic references literally, the prophecy also points toward Damascus, indicating that even the desperately ill on their deathbeds were not spared from being dragged away by the Assyrian king in the final exile [מלבי״ם].
Beyond the physical reality of illness and hiding, the imagery carries historical and political weight. The corner of the bed symbolizes the temporary strength of Jeroboam's rule, which briefly restored the nation's borders. In contrast, the reliance on Damascus represents Israel's broken reed of trust in military alliances with the Aramean kings [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Furthermore, the geometry of a bed—four corners, each facing two directions—is seen as a subtle hint that only one-eighth of the Ten Tribes managed to escape the destruction by fleeing to rely on Hezekiah, King of Judah [רש״י, רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Finally, the sickbed itself echoes the specific sins of past rulers who fell ill, such as Ahaziah of Israel, who sought answers from pagan deities from his bed, and Ben-Hadad of Aram, who inquired of God [רש״י].