ישעיהו, פרק כ״ד, פסוק י״ג

Vivid agricultural imagery from the harvest season serves as a powerful metaphor for extreme destruction and depletion, painting a picture of a world where only a tiny remnant survives a sweeping devastation.

Commentators offer different perspectives on who exactly experiences this catastrophic loss. One approach suggests the prophecy focuses on the people of Israel, describing a tragic reality where only a small number of survivors remain, isolated and scattered among the nations of the world [רש״י]. Within this view, the tragedy can be seen as a twofold event: a mass extinction occurring within the Land of Israel itself, while only a tiny handful of survivors endure in exile [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective maintains that this small minority will be distributed equally, with survivors remaining both in their homeland and in exile [מצודת דוד].

Conversely, a second major approach argues that the prophecy does not address Israel at all, but rather the nations of the world. In this scenario, the vast majority of nations will perish. The few who survive will ultimately recognize God's greatness and accept faith in Him [רד״ק, אברבנאל]. Following this line of thought, the specific land targeted by this destruction is identified as Babylon. Once the center of the world and a hub of immense wealth and greatness, Babylon is destined to be emptied of its inhabitants and left completely desolate [שד״ל].

To illustrate the sheer scarcity of these survivors, the prophecy relies on two distinct harvest metaphors. The first compares the survivors to an olive tree during the harvest. When the tree is fiercely beaten and shaken to bring down its fruit, only a few solitary olives are left clinging to the highest branches. In the same way, only a sparse few will remain after the devastation [רש״י, רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, שטיינזלץ]. The second metaphor draws upon the grape harvest. It evokes the image of small, poor clusters of grapes left behind on the vine long after the gathering has finished, completely ignored and left to wither. Together, these complementary images capture the bleak, fragile reality of the small remnant left behind [אבן עזרא, מצודת ציון, רד״ק, שטיינזלץ].